Once an Alpha, Always an Alpha
by HAWTgeek
Summary: It didnt take long until the PC broke up,and everyone has moved on. Eveyone except for Massie,who was never told. Now,back in town for her senior summer, Massie wasn't really expecting everything to be fine with her and the PC immediately, but getting in an Alpha-Off between the itGirls and the Click was not in the plan!
1. Chapter 1

_**Once an Alpha, **_**Always **_**an Alpha…**_

Over four years have passed since Massie left, and things haven't been the same. The Pretty Committee broke up long ago, and their old Alpha was the last thing on their mind this summer until a certain Alpha's plane lands in JFK…

_**Massie Block**_: Massie block had always been able to cope. Always, even when moving half-way across the world. She ruled Britain like Justin Bieber in a mall full of thirteen year old girls. She kept in touch with her NY friends, but it didn't take long until they spoke almost on a menstrual cycle. Now graduated from high school and ready to attend college back in the states with her British boyfriend, Massie is back in Westchester for her senior summer. She thought it would be like it used to be with her friends, but she's finding that their friendship is more out than last season's Prada bag…

_**Claire Lyons**_: A lot had changed in the years Massie had been gone. Layne was accepted into a arts school in the city, and it had been over a year since Claire had talked to her, and don't even get her started on Massie. It had also been over a year since Cam and Claire broke up. The PC was also gone. Everything was different from what Claire had thought her life would be like at this point. And she also didn't know what she was going to do after this. Now that Massie is back, everything is changing, and Claire thinks this could be for the better…

_**Alicia Rivera:**_ Alicia's life has been perfect for the last few years, and she knows that isn't going to end. Leader of the dance team, Alpha of her high school, and the figure of every boy's fantasy, Alicia has _everything_. The only thing standing between her and the most elite dance school in the country is an audition which she knows she's going to ace. She thought that the biggest trouble on her mind would be how her summer fling would react from tan lines after all the time she spent tanning in the sun, but, when her old alpha gets back to Westchester, this summer may not be all Cosmos and tanning…

_**Dylan Marvil**_: Since she was a kid, she felt like the fat kid, but she doesn't really give a damn anymore. Why should she? She feels beautiful. She's smart. And she found her passion, acting. Now that her reality TV show is now just focusing on her mom, Dylan finally has the privacy she requires. Only a summer away from going to NYU under an acting major, Dylan is still wondering what ever happened to her old Alpha is fairing across the 'Pond', and she's about to get that chance to find out…

_**Kristen Gregory**_: Back in town after moving to Florida for her soccer career, Kristen is thinking about ending her soccer career. She's staying with her Aunt in Westchester to get away from her mom. Though she knows she can't do it, Kristen dreams of working as a scientist to find cures for sicknesses, but, now that she's back in the birth and death place of the one thing , the Pretty Committee, she couldn't find a cure for, Kristen wishes that she had Massie back as everything seemed

okay when she had Massie. And, now that Massie is back, will it be the same, or will it be even _more_ painful than the first time?

* * *

><p><em><strong>Four Years Ago…<strong>_

_**Claire's POV, **_

I sat down in between Dylan and Kristen on the shag rug of Olivia's dance studio.

It had eight months since Massie left, and nothing had been the same, just as we knew it wouldn't.

My heart began to hurt like I had just plunged a knife into it when I thought about Massie. The last Claire had heard from her was that she was going on a retreat with her boyfriend, James, and she wouldn't be able to communicate for at least two weeks.

That was _three_ weeks ago.

I remembered Massie's name for us all.

GLU.

We all thought it was something clever for her to say, but she had been literally speaking. Massie was our glue. No, she was like crazy glue, and we hadn't even known that she was the one thing keeping us together. Alicia had tried to be that crazy glue, but, instead, she was just the crazy part. Alicia was like a bobby pin.

It'll keep us together for a while, but it quickly starts to fall.

We all knew the end was near, even though we acted like we didn't.

I tightened my grip on my perfume bottle, knowing that I would soon be in pain.

"You guys made it," Alicia smiled weakly as she wrapped her winter-white cardigan closer around her. The new school year started in the morning, and we had all been asleep when we got texts saying to immediately come over. The clock read 1:10 AM, and I knew I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. I thought back to home.

We had finished moving in a while back, and I loved it. It would have been impossible to get out of Massie's old house, but all I needed to do with this house was climb out of my window and onto the gazebo below. I had almost been asleep when my Motorola buzzed from my bedside table. I grabbed it out of it's charger with a moan and read the text.

_PC meeting at my place. Bring CP._

_-Leesh_

CP meant "Claiming Perfume"

So, either we were about to get a new member, or this was the moment that I had been dreading for the last eight months. I got out of bed and slid into a pair of Forever 21 jeans. Grabbing my cell phone and a black blazer to go over my Tinkerbelle tee shirt, I slid out of my window. It didn't take me long to get to Leesh's, and I found my three best friends sitting in her room.

Alicia put a clear bowl in the middle of the circle, and I knew this was the end.

When I got accepted, I had to go through a ceremony. I brought my favorite perfume and made it my CP. The group put a spray of their CP in the water, and I put mine in last. Finally. We each put our hand in it at the same time, and we were bound to each other. The only way to end that was to do the exact same thing.

"I'll go-go first," Kristen stuttered, and we all watched with pain as she picked up her bottle of perfume. Her hands trembled as she pressed the button, and the warm scent of apples filled the air.

Dylan bit her lip as she sprayed her perfume, and the smell of a sweet shop mingled with apples.

I felt like dying as my hand brought up my bottle. My eyes watered, and I was astonished I could even hold the bottle without dropping it. My heart so much that I thought I was going to have a heart attack, and I became scared of pressing the button.

But I did.

My body felt weak and hollow as I set the bottle down in front of the bowl. I hugged my knees and watched Alicia steadily. We all did. She waited for a moment before raising her head high and bringing out her perfume.

She sprayed it.

I choked back a sob.

"I love you guys," I spoke first, not ready for it all to be over just yet.

"I love you guys, too," Dylan's eyes watered.

"Same here," Kristen let a stray tear fall down her rosy cheek.

"This is for the best," Alicia spoke in pain, but I still wanted to kill her.

"Before we do this," Dylan spoke up, "I just want one more promise."

We all urged her to go on with our eyes.

"Don't forget about us. Don't forget about our good times. Or our bad times. Or our boys times…." Dylan choked back a cry, "Don't forget about Massie."

We all nodded and turned our attention to Alicia.

"Hands over the bowl."

We did as she said.

"One."

My heart began to hurt.

"Two."

Memories of the last few years swirled through my mind. This was the only life I had, and I didn't know how to let it go. These girls meant everything to me.

But it was over.

"Three."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Real Time, <strong>_

_**Massie Block:**_

As I walked through JFK, I looked at myself in the window's reflections.

My hair had just been straightened yesterday by the best stylist money could get in London, and she had totally hit the mark. Thanks to the Champaign on the plane, courtesy of first class, I looked and felt completely relaxed. My curvy body was shown off in a pair of Seven Jeans, a lilac peasant blouse, and a black cardigan. I boarded in a pair of Juicy Sweats, but I changed early that morning on the plane.

It was going to be my first day back in Westchester since Thanksgiving, when I flew home to Grandmother's, and I knew I had to look good. Gossip here travels faster than H1N1 at a kissing booth.

On left arm, towards the reflection I was looking at, I held a black Prada tote that had been a present from my boyfriend, James. And on the right arm, I had James, who I forced my attention to.

He was about 6'3, making him four inches taller than me. He had ignored me and let his curls grow out instead of getting it cropped, and I was happy he did that as it made him look even more adorable. His skin was a British tan, but it was an American normal. It had been a chore to get him to put the grey sweater I bought him over his 'KISS Rugby' tee shirt, but, when I promised to spend the entire next day with him with our door locked instead of shopping, he immediately pulled the sweater on. It was hard to think that James and I had been together for three years now.

We had met on the plane when I was coming to London, and we quickly became friends. Best friends, actually. He knew me better than anyone, and he gave me this new world. It was like the world Claire had grown up in, except for more chic and elite. Some of my best friends became guys. It was okay to have flaws. Name Brands weren't everything. My best friends weren't just pretty and mean, but they were all so different. One was the daughter of a singer who moved there to get away from the paparazzi, and another was a girl whose teenage parents left her at the doorstep and, even though she loves the woman who raised her, she used that anger to write her Sci-Fi novels. I hadn't been able to tell James how I felt until Christmas time the next year. He came over to study, and we got caught under mistletoe, and the rest was history.

It was also hard to believe that it had been four years since I moved away from Westchester.

I almost felt like a tourist in the place I had spent the largest portion of my life.

"So, refresh my memory on the plan for this summer," James smiled, and his blue eyes drifted down to me. I felt my heart flutter like a butterfly when he did that, just as it always did.

"We're renting a condo in town for the summer. Isaac will check up on us every now and then, but we'll be alone other than that. You'll go to your lectures, and I have a job lined up as a personal shopper to make my parents happy," I smiled my chemically-whitened-teeth-smile.

James was PreMed, and he had gotten into a class here in Westchester to learn about the line of work he wants, and I immediately opted to come with him instead of spending my summer laying out by a barely-there sun. His parents, who knew he would need help in another country, loved the idea and gave their approval, but my dad was harder. It took him about three weeks for me to get him to let me come, but I did it.

Sure, I had to work, but he was still paying for everything. The money I get from their instantly goes to my college money. James will be in class most of the day, but it beats not seeing him at all for the next few months. Besides, it never takes me long to make friends, especially if I'm a personal shopper.

"I can't wait to see you with a full-time job," James shook his head, and I narrowed my amber eyes.

"I've had a job before, James."

"You babysat your neighbors. Then you became the president of the dance committee, making you stop that. You sold make-up as a kid, but that fizzled out when you paid off your debt. You worked at a store in London, but then you quit because SAT time rolled around. You worked at a coffee shop but kept spilling it on the customers-" James was probably going to name every job, and why I no longer had it, when I stopped him.

"There's Isaac!"

Isaac looked different from when he worked for us. After we had to let him go because my dad lost all of his money, Isaac went to work for someone else and started going back to college. Then he got an idea. It took a year, but he finished his first manuscript. The publisher loved the story of him being the one who really raised me, and so did the public. He kept writing, and he quickly became insanely rich, making me wish I could do that for myself.

His smile widened when he noticed me, and I ran away from James and into Isaac's warm hug.

"I missed you," I smiled, still in his hug. It had been only a few weeks since Isaac boarded a plane to come to my high school graduation, but that didn't matter. I still missed him like crazy.

"I missed you to, Massacre," he told me, and I smiled at my old nick name.

I hadn't heard that in years, and I really missed it.

Isaac let go of me, and I noticed that James had caught up and was standing beside me.

"I've heard wonderful things, James," Isaac shook James's hand.

"Well, you raised a wonderful girl," James smiled wide, and Isaac did the same.

Score one for James.

"Your bags have already been sent to the condo, right?" Isaac asked, and I quickly nodded my head.

About half an hour later, we were sitting in Isaac's Range Rover, and he and James were having a conversation.

Not wanting to hear about school, I took my Droid out of my Prada tote. I fished through the many pictures I had taken, and I settled for the one of me in front of the sign that read London-NYC at the airport and pressed the send message.

First, I sent it to my best British friends: Wyatt- a gay guy who had better fashion sense than me, Quinn- that writer I told you about earlier, Robin- a rugby-mate of James's who was also my friend, Strawberry (Penelope)- nicknamed for her hot pink hair, Strawberry is the badass of the group who loves Vogue like it's her lifeline.

_Just got off flight. Missing London already :'(_

I pressed the send and made a new message.

I attached the picture and went through my contacts.

_Alicia_

_Claire_

_Dylan_

_Kristen_

The contacts hadn't been touched in years, and I could basically feel the digital cobwebs. I didn't even know if the numbers worked as the pictures were still from when we were like fourteen, but it was worth a try.

_I'm back._

And send.


	2. A Summer in the Sun Is Easy When Avoided

_**Alicia,**_

I squinted in the summer sun to see the iphone screen.

It was the first time that I wasn't in Spain for the summer in years. If it hadn't been for that little wuss Nina was dating blabbing about our night together, I would be there. But that didn't matter. Spain, while fun, had always proved a hassle for me to keep up my popularity, and this was my final summer to rule these LBR's lives.

After Massie left, the PC broke up like a cheap fake nail breaking after one day. I called it quits the day before school started, and there was definitely no mistake there. I went on that year to meet CeCe and Bay at PMS, and it took us all but two hours to rule that school. We kept that up. Sure, there were no boys, and I was stuck only dating the Briarwood boys. But there was no way in hell I was going to _public school_.

I was by far the hottest girl in PMS, even in the unflattering school uniform. Everyone listened to me when I was there, and they still treated me like a god, even though I graduated a few weeks ago. That didn't matter though. Being an Alpha was good enough for me. I didn't give a damn if they were all little Catholic school girls. They still listened.

As well as being the best dancer at BADASS studios, I remained a cheerleader for the Briarwood boys. Sure, it was lame, but it gave me an excuse to be there all the time. The last four years had been the best of my life, no doubt. Or at least my life this far.

I was destined for more than this. I had to be with this body. God doesn't give all this to someone who just marries some rich Briarwood boy and breeds more Briarwood boys and OCD girls. No way in hell. Daddy didn't pay for a nose job so I could just stay _here_.

My fingers flit through the many pictures on my phone, and I settled for one with me in a sheer coverup that showed my white bikini. It was hot, but it wasn't revealing enough to be considered a dirty picture. I attached it to a message and typed in 'Josh Hotz' into the recipient name.

_Just do you can see what you gave up…_

_-Hottie-With-a-Dancer's-Body_

I pressed send victoriously. I had been doing this for months now after our breakup. He had been the first boy to break up with me in over five years, and I was pissed. It had been a month before prom, and I had thought we were going together. Josh went with some slut, and I went with some other guy. When I heard that Josh was still dating that slut, I had been sending him pictures like that. That SOB definitely deserved it in my opinion.

My phone gave me the notification that it went through and I set my phone down on the table beside my lounge chair. I took a sip of my strawberry vitamin water and began to think back to the Country club and how I would be having a mojito over there- and a hot bartender.

"Send another picture to Hotz? You're going to give him a heart attack," Olivia smiled as she came back to the pool. She had gone inside to get some sunscreen as the blonde burned easily. I quickly gave her the once over.

Her blonde curls had been pulled into a high pony, and her hot pink bikini was definitely brand new, meaning she had gone shopping without me recently because I didn't remembering buying that with her. Her skin was a little pale, but she could tan it soon enough.

She was pretty, not as pretty as me, but pretty. Though ditzy, Olivia was a good Beta, better than I had been to Massie.

I simply shrugged as I sipped at my vitamin water again. He would deserve to have a heart attack after dumping me.

"I wonder if he's taking her to Carman's party," I slid my tortoise shell sunglasses back on and let my skin soak in the summer sun.

"Speaking of that, what are you going to wear?" Olivia reclined on her chair to.

"Don't know. You?" I lied. My outfit had been ready since the day I found out about the party, which was at graduation, but I wasn't going to tell Olivia. Though only a b-cup, she somehow managed to make herself look like D's when it came down to it, and there was no way I was going to let her look hotter than me.

This party marked the start of the summer, and it would determine how my summer would go. If I took second to Olivia then, guys would want her, not me. And that was so not going to happen if I could help it.

"I was going to borrow CeCe's dress, but she said she needs it today. Where are the twins anyway?" Olivia complained, and I could hear the Jewish accent that she tried her hardest to hide.

Bay and CeCe are twins, but you'd never know it. CeCe looks like her ex-model mother with her long blonde hair and brown eyes, and Bay looks like her dad with his black hair and green eyes. They're both beautiful but in different ways. Personality-Wise, Bay was the best, but, looks-wise, CeCe was best.

"Their dad took them to a family reunion. They won't be back for a few days," I smiled to myself, knowing I had this party totally under control.

My iphone buzzed, and I pulled down my sunglasses.

"Let me read it. I bet that it's Josh," Olivia smiled, sitting up, and I gave her a shrug to tell her she could. She jumped up from her chair and ran to my phone. Still smiling like a school girl, she went to my messages and shock covered her face.

Her thin, pink lips formed an 'O', and her body froze. Her grip went slack, and my iphone fell. Luckily, my towel had been there, and the expensive phone seemed to be fine. Olivia didn't move. She seemed paralyzed like her botox guy had screwed up again.

"What?" I snarled, and Olivia didn't even flinch. I reached for the phone and turned it on from sleep.

My heart stopped when I saw the picture.

_I'm back_.

The picture showed a beautiful girl my age in front of an airport sign. Her amber hair was straight and glossy, and her eyes held enough confidence to win a war. Her lips were the perfect combination of thin and thick, and they formed a beautiful smile. Her shirt was Lilac with a black cardigan over it, and the outfit looked great on her while it would have made me look terrible.

Massie Block.

My heart rate sped.

_Massie Block was _back.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Claire,<strong>_

"Claire! Anna's here!" my mom yelled up the stairs.

"I'll be down in a minute!" I yelled back as I went back to the shoebox I had found in my closet. I fished out some pictures of me when I was a middle-schooler and almost laughed at them. It had been Massie's idea to take pictures of my outfit, and I couldn't believe I had actually done it.

Since Massie left, life went on. I went to public school after OCD, and I actually liked it. I stopped saving up for designer gear and saved for cameras and stuff like that. When I got to ADD, I quickly found my way there. I joined the school paper first, and I met my two best friends there, Anna and Tara. Then I went on to do the yearbook every year. Life was good for a while, and I forgot about the PC.

Sure I followed them on twitter, but I didn't really care where they ate or what store they shopped at. The only one who still cared about them was my little brother, Todd. He still went to Briarwood, and he had become (I think I'm going to throw up)…_hot._ He still had a thing for Massie, but Alicia didn't do it for him anymore. Instead, he had been dating a Massie-Look-Alike, Blaire, for the last year.

Once I had gone through the pictures of me or the PC, I came to the bottom and found the one picture I hadn't destroyed.

_Cam._

I took a quick breath out of surprise.

It was my sophomore year when we ended. I burned the pictures of him, and, until now, I had forgotten about Cam. But there he was in this picture.

He was wearing the soccer outfit he had come to Massie's party in. It was the first day I met him, and the DJ took a picture of us when we won the dancing competition. I had gotten it when he left, and I had held onto it. When we moved out of Massie's guest house, I had put it in this box, I guess.

Cam's blue and green eyes stared into the camera with a happy look. His grin was a little crooked, but I had always loved it. His tan skin was offset by his black hair. His arm was slung around me, and I was in a dorky power-puff girl costume, which I really should have burned before then.

I wanted to rip up the picture, but I couldn't manage it. Instead, I put it face down in the box and put all of the other pictures in it. I reached for my Motorola and got off the floor. My mind drifted back to Cam as I began to run down the stairs to the foyer.

A petite girl who looked to be about fifteen even though she was actually three months older than me stood at the door. Her messy brown hair was down at went into her green eyes. Freckles covered her face, and she was wearing a blue graphic tee shirt that tried to make her A-Cups look bigger but did the opposite. Anna's jean shorts had drawings everywhere from where she would get bored and doodle on them.

"We're going to miss the movie, Lyons," Anna tried to seem serious but failed miserably.

"Sorry, Anna," I opened the front door and was about to go through when my mom said something.

"Be good," she called out, but I just kept walking out with Anna. She unlocked her Smart Car, and I began to dread the ten minute drive to the theater. We both climbed in and she cranked up the car. One Direction, Anna's favorite Boy Band, started playing from the speakers with "Up All Night"

My heart sank as I thought about the band. Anna was really smart, and she would be attending Oxford come this summer. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't even know what I wanted to study. At first, I thought about becoming a baker, but I couldn't wake up early enough for that. I wanted to be a photographer, but I didn't know how to get that started. For a while, I wanted to be a teacher, but I had no clue what I really wanted.

To get my mind off of that, I looked at the houses around me, and my heart stopped when I saw Layne's.

I hadn't spoken to her in over a year.

She loved music, and she was good at it. While singing at some gig she had with her band, someone important saw her. They worked for an arts school in the city, and she took video of Layne. It was only three weeks later that Layne got an invitation to study at the school, and she snapped it up immediately. I didn't mean to be upset about it, but I was just as talented with photography. Layne picked up on how I was acting, and we had a big fight. Three days later, her stuff was packed and she was in school.

I hadn't heard from her since.

"Going to Carman's party?" Anna asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. Carman was a boy my age who had been on Todd's lacrosse team, and he had invited me to the 'Start of the Summer' party he was throwing in a few days.

"It'll just be a bunch of rich kids from some private school," I shrugged.

"You used to be one of those rich kids, Claire," Anna almost laughed, and I didn't say anything, wanting to forget about that.

My parents weren't poor like we used to be, but we weren't nearly as rich as the PC members I had been friends with.

While I was thinking of something to say back to Anna, my cell phone buzzed from my jean pocket. I pulled it out and read the number. I didn't know it, and, without meaning to, I began to wonder if it was Cam. I had deleted his number and blocked it out of my mind. So, this could be _his _number. My finger hesitated over the open button, but I pressed it eventually.

A picture of a girl popped up. She was pretty, but I didn't know who she was. Sure, she was a little familiar, especially her brown eyes. She was in an airport, but I couldn't read the sign on my little screen. Instead of trying to place her, I made a mental note to use my birthday money for a new cell phone, and I was about to snap it shut when I saw the text below.

_I'm back._

It hit me like nausea after eating bad sushi, and I almost passed out onto the smart car's seat. My stomach was empty, and that happened to be the only thing keeping me from throwing up.

Massie Block.

I didn't know if I should smile or frown. I had missed her, yeah, but life gone on without her. I wasn't the same, and what if she didn't like this Claire?

This Claire wore HM and TJ Maxx without a second glance, and she was always indecisive, especially about her future. The Massie I saw in the picture was still the same, except maybe a little nicer.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kristen, <strong>_

I stared out the window to look at the pool of my Aunt's house, hugging my knees. My eyes shifted to look in the reflection.

My body was muscular, but I was still just size six. My brown eyes were my best feature as they hadn't changed after my rigorous training in Florida. My blonde hair stopped at my collarbone, and I had pushed it up into a messy bun. My nails were in desperate need of a manicure, but I hadn't had time. My black tank-top was matched with a pair of pajama bottoms that had the brand name of the place I trained for the last four years.

I didn't look like I did when I first lived here. I didn't even look the same that I had when I watched my apartment building fade in the distance as my mom's car drove away to the airport.

My eyes stayed glued to my reflection, thinking of my past.

_Dempsey._

_The PC. _

_Most of my family._

I hadn't spoken to any of those people, and I began to regret it, especially the Pretty Committee.

I began to wonder about Dempsey, who I cared about, but I knew he'd be fine. He probably went back to Africa or something. Dylan was my best friend out of the PC, but I knew she was doing well because I kept watching her show.

_Claire. _

She was the one I wondered about since she was closest to Massie. She was the one who would have trouble when we broke up, but I didn't see her again after the breakup.

I had been signed up to go to PMS on a scholarship for Soccer when I got the letter. I didn't even go to the first day before my mom was packing our stuff for Florida. She got a job there, and all of the money I was earning was going towards a fund that would be rewarded to me on my twenty-first birthday. But my mom took a risk. She took a good chunk of her savings and invested in a new company, and the risk paid off. She put most of her new money into savings, but she did buy a nice home nearby my training sight and made our life a little more comfortable.

I didn't care about that though. I didn't care about the money because I was always working, but, now that I was too old for the program, I didn't know what to care about. My friends were still in Florida, going over their options like I should be doing. But I booked a flight to come stay with my aunt, and I was staying here for a few months to think.

I didn't know why I chose to come here. I could have gone just about anywhere, even the beach in North Carolina where my dad lived now. But I chose here.

It's not like I had anything here anymore.

No friends.

No real hobbies.

Nothing that I held onto.

My phone buzzed, but I ignored it, still thinking.

When it buzzed again, I reached for the Droid X.

Two text messages, both from numbers I didn't know.

I went for the new one first.

_Kristen? It's Claire. Need to talk ASAP. _

_-GummiGirl_

I stared at the screen in shock. Quickly, I typed back a response.

_Ehmigawd! Claire! I haven't heard from you in forever. HRU?_

It didn't take long until my phone buzzed again.

_Good. Did you get the text?_

I knit my eyebrows in confusion.

_What text?_

I went to the older text that had come in before Claire out of curiosity, and the contents made me almost drop my phone.

Ignoring the buzz that told me that Claire had just sent me another text, I reread the other one.

_I'm back._

I stared at the picture for what felt like hours but was only minutes. It was clear who the girl was, Massie Block. Even if she had a million plastic surgeries, I would know. I had looked into her confident amber eyes for guidance enough times to know when I saw them.

I went back to Claire's message and typed back that I got word from Massie, still not able to process that it had even happened.

Massie Block was back.

I couldn't help but smile, even if she had ignored us only six months after leaving. Even if it wasn't for our friendship, which it sort of was, it was for herself. Massie attracts fun everywhere she goes, and I was in dire need of fun. Claire fired back a text along the lines of 'what do we do' and Kristen didn't know what to say.

_Do we have the numbers for everyone else?_

I waited impatiently as Claire responded.

_No, this is a new phone. I just sort of remembered yours._

I sighed, not even knowing Claire's number until about now.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Dylan,<strong>_

I watched my a podcast of the new episode that was just put together for our reality TV show. My two sisters still lived with us, and it was becoming more and more like the Kardashian show as Ryan just announced her big news of being pregnant. Of course, we were going to play it off as a secret coming out in the show, but we all knew even before she told us. My mom was also engaged a producer, and the wedding was set to be this summer.

I pressed the 'X' on my podcast and went back to my email. I sipped at my white mocha coffee that the barista had just given me as a refill to my last. I frequented the Grind, my favorite coffee shop in Westchester, and I was there again today because I didn't want to be around filming. After my high school graduation episode, I thought they had enough of me for a while, and I wanted to focus on something else.

But I had nothing else to focus on.

I had no plays to study for, and my friends were all at a spa weekend in Zia's place at the Hamptons. Once the PC was gone, my mom did what any celebrity mom would do and put me in home schooling. I had a regular graduation and such, but I had spent four years studying with all the other celebrity's kids, Zia being one of them. All of the boys flew down to Mexico to celebrate being done with High School and wouldn't be back for another week, and the girls were with Zia. Zia offered for me to come of course, but I opted out, saying I needed some 'Dylan Time'.

But Dylan Time got boring, and I wanted some spa time in the Hamptons now.

My computer pinged to tell me that I had a skype request from my boyfriend. I finger-brushed my red curls for a second and pinched my cheeks before pressing accept.

In the background, I could see an almost empty airport, but my boyfriend's tall frame took center stage in the image. His black hair had been perfectly cropped, and his chin was shaved since he knew I really didn't like it when he wasn't. Even on the computer screen, his bright brown eyes made my heart flutter. As usual, he was wearing his Briarwood soccer team tee shirt with jeans.

I took a quick look at the picture that showed how I looked.

My red ringlets were down and looked particularly 'Taylor Swift'_y._ What little freckles I had were covered by concealer, and my cheeks flushed when I looked at him, making me look like a big tomato. My Champaign Calvin Clien shirt had some of the little pearls covered by a black cardigan. I was wearing the silver locket he gave me right before he left as a graduation gift, and I had worn it just about every day since he gave it to me.

"Hey, I thought you were already on your flight, Josh," I smiled even though I really wished he was on his way home. Josh Hotz and I hadn't been dating long. He had been dating my ex-best friend, Alicia, for about six months when we ran into each other. It was clear that we were both head over heels for each other the moment we met again about three months ago. It took a while before he broke up with Alicia, but we didn't do anything until he did.

"They ran into turbulence, and they haven't landed yet," Josh shrugged and reached for his phone, making me frown.

"She did it _again_," he told me, almost wanting to laugh.

"What was it of this time?" I sighed, remembering the day he had told me that his ex was repeatedly sending pictures of herself. My phone buzzed, and I went to it to see that Josh had forwarded the picture.

Alicia was in a white bikini with a black coverup over it, smiling seductively. I almost threw up at the thought that she thought this would work, and I also began to worry that it might actually end up working. I deleted the picture, not wanting to see it again and looked up to Josh.

"She's sent worse," I shrugged even though I could feel my blood boiling with anger. I knew she didn't care about Josh anymore as she was clearly about to start dating her match who was born and raised in Mexico City until three years ago when his father left and gave custody to his mom who was a native New Yorker. He was perfect for her in every way, and it was a true miracle that Josh and Alicia stayed together for over a day. Alicia would have forgotten about Josh if it hadn't been for _him _leaving.

_He left her_, and that just scared the hell out of her. In her mind, the world was created so that it could have her presence. A guy dumping her was like wearing a dress bought at Walmart to prom. It just didn't happen, and she couldn't figure out why it did. She couldn't stop the fact that it _did_ happen, but she sure as hell was going to make it hard for us.

"I don't know why she does that," Josh shook his head, clearly disappointed in her.

The Alicia he knew was gone. The Alicia _I _knew was gone.

She was a person. She was a dancer with weird slang that caught on in our circle of friends. She was boycrazy, and boys were crazy about her, too. Though mean as hell, she was a sweet person underneath, but that underneath faded once Massie wasn't there to hold her into place.

"Your hard to let go," I smiled my 'girlfriend' smile, and Josh seemed to forget about his anger for Alicia and smiled.

My cell phone buzzed, and I half-expected it to be from Alicia, who had her own ringtone by now. She didn't contact me unless it was with pictures of Josh with her from years ago when she really felt like taunting me. That didn't happen much though. She really just wants to make Josh feel guilty for leaving her.

I reached for it and saw that it was from a number I didn't know.

Opening it, I felt my heart stop. I stared at the cell phone screen, remembering all the things I've found on cell phones. I blackmailed a tennis star with my phone. I got juicy gossip from Alicia up until four years ago. Reminders of Friday night sleepovers would ping at Thursday for me to pack. Podcasts of my mom's shows were sent to me for a final approval, and I used to stare at my phone for hours in hopes Josh would call.

But this was definitely a new one…

As I was staring at the message in shock, Josh started to pick up on something.

"What is it? Forward it."

Typing my own commentary on the top, I forwarded him the message and waited for his response.

"Oh. My. God," Josh looked up at the screen.

"_Massie_."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Massie,<strong>_

I sat at the kitchen table of the apartment and stared at my Droid's screen.

10:07 PM flicked to 10:08 PM.

I went to my messages from my British friends when I sent the picture this morning.

_Robin: Just met a hot girl, but I need my wing woman :(_

_Quinn: *with picture of her in front of a blank document with a pout on her pretty face* Wish you were here. In desperate need of Jasmine tea and window shopping! _

_Strawberry: On the train to the beach! Wish you were here :(_

_Wyatt: Eh Ma GAWD! In Chanel. Not the same without you. But found this great dress. Check your mail in the morning! ;)_

But nothing from my New York friends, and I began to hate that I fell out of touch with them.

I went on a retreat with James, and my phone fell in the lake there. I ditched the iphone and got a Droid, which I soon fell in love with the brand. I kept the same number and tried to call my friends. But they always seemed busy. And I was busy.

It didn't take long until we just forgot.

We didn't forget the times we had together, but we just forgot to call. We forgot that we just had a present instead of just a past.

"Thanks, Mate," James smiled as he closed the front door behind him. I stared at him as he set the Chinese food down on the table, and he knit his eyebrows.

"_Mate_?"

"I'm British," James shrugged as he went to the refrigerator for two cokes. He was wearing his grey pajamas, but I had stolen his tee shirt after he took a shower. We were unpacking, and he didn't have classes until two days from now.

Work didn't start for me until about a week when I would be the one in charge of stocking Saks here, but James went to class right away. That was why we were here, or at least that was the official reason we were here. We didn't act like eighteen year olds. The UK had matured us, and I was fine with being mature. I especially loved how mature James was considering the idiots I had dated before him.

I didn't know what this summer would be like. British parties were awesome, but they were also seldom. I didn't know what I was supposed to do in a town where I didn't know anyone anymore. I had thought I had friends waiting, but that didn't seem to be true anymore.

"I know. But you don't say _mate_. It's like you're trying," I shrugged as I took the coke he handed me. He sat down in the seat beside me and reached for the bag.

"Sweet and Sour Chicken," he handed me my box with chopsticks. Smiling, I took it from him and looked at him for a minute.

"What would you be doing if I hadn't talked my dad into letting me come?" I unwrapped the chopsticks and looked into his beautiful blue eyes. They were the only things that could relax me and get my mind off something to this magnitude.

"I don't know. I would be in a dorm room, probably working out the time difference to call you or Robin," James shrugged, popping the cap to his drink.

I thought about how hard it was to convince my father. I still don't know how I did it, but I did. I guess he realized that it would be easier than me moping around the castle and spending his money to get rid of the pain of missing him.

"What you be doing, Mass?" James smiled, turning to face me.

I knew I would have spent the day with my best friends back in London if I was there.

The morning would have started off with getting up and going to the kitchen for the freshly made breakfast by Wanda. After eating a few slices of bacon and realizing I couldn't eat, I would grab my keys and head to town to meet Quinn for tea. When she had to leave, I would round up Wyatt and Strawberry to go shopping. After that, we would stop for a cup of tea and small snack. Wyatt would have to get ready for a date, and Strawberry would get on the train. I'd drop off my stuff in my room and head to the garden. Then, I would break down and cry. After hours of that, I would buy a ticket to go to the beach with Strawberry in hopes of a relaxing vacation.

"Well, it's three in the morning back home. So, sleep, I guess," I smirked, and James smiled without even wanting to.

"Here's a good one. What would you be doing a few years ago, before you moved to London, on this day?" James asked.

"It's a Saturday?"

James nodded.

"Well, I'd be waking up from Friday sleepovers. We'd get up and go to the kitchen for breakfast. At nine, Isaac would drive the girls home, and Claire would go see Cam. It's the summer, so I'd be packing to head to the Hamptons, and Alicia would be going to Spain. So, I guess I would meet with Dylan and Claire at the mall about three. We'd eat there and head home. Claire would call Layne, and I'd call whatever guy I was dating at the time. Four years ago… So, that would be Landon."

I smiled at the thought of my first really serious boyfriend.

"Wait, Landon _Landon_? The dude I was friends with when he stayed with you a few summers ago?" James asked, and I nodded, forgetting that I had never told him that I had dated Landon. It didn't take long until we had basically forgotten about how we had dated and just became close friends.

"I thought I told you about that."

"You think I wouldn't remember that one of my friends dated my girlfriend? Did you two ever…?"

I stared at him and kicked him under the table, but my bare food against his muscular leg wasn't a very good chance.

"I was like _fourteen_."

"I was just making sure," James raised his hands in surrender, and it took all of my will power not to kick him again.

"So, to change the subject, I have a quick question," James drank from the coke, and I raised my eyebrows for him to continue, "Why are you wearing my shirt?"

I looked down at how I was only wearing his Rugby shirt as I had forgotten about it. He took a shower, and I felt hot as well as I had always loved the shirt. I simply grabbed it and just kind of forgot about it as he never brought it up.

"I like to wear your shirt."

"I've never understood that," James took a bite of his rice

"I don't know. It's just one of those girl things," I shrugged, taking a bite of my sweet and sour chicken.

"Heard from them yet?" James motioned towards the phone, and I shook my head, knowing that he was talking about the PC.

"Not a thing. Maybe I got their number wrong," I tried, but it sounded pathetic.

"It'll be fine. We're here all summer. You're bound to find them," James smiled comfortingly, but it didn't comfort me like it was supposed to. Instead, it made me feel like that lame girl you try to help but you know she'll always be an LBR.

"Yeah," I shrugged as I looked around the apartment. Sure, it felt small after living in a castle for the last few years where I basically had my own wing, but it was pretty big. The place had just been refurbished, and our parents got the apartment for a good price. The hardwood floors were brand new and didn't have one stain on it. I knew that this table was worth more than the new pair of Jimmy Choos I bought before going to the airport to come here. The new kitchen was even more expensive than the renovation my mom got a year ago for her kitchen, which my father spent six months complaining about.

"Why'd you stop talking to them?" James seemed to forget about the Chinese food and turned his attention towards me, which I loved by the way. Even if his attention hadnt been on me, his beautiful blue eyes were enough to get me drunk for the rest of my life. There was something about James. Wyatt said it was just the power of my pants, but I didn't think it was that. I guess it was how sweet he was after all the guys I had met here (Derrington, anyone?)

I remembered when I stopped talking to them even though I hadnt noticed it then.

My cell phone was new, and Strawberry and I were going shopping with Wyatt. We met at the store, and, three hours and hundreds invested in clothes, we stopped at a pizza shop nearby. As we all laughed and looked at our stuff, I realized something. It wasn't that I liked them _better_, but I had to admit that my life was definitely better.

I didn't have to be perfect all the time, and everybody loved me for me, not for being a total bitch all the time. I fit in perfectly, and I had great friends, including a rugby player with a kind heart and beautiful eyes. In that moment, I had officially forgotten the 'New York Massie'. I was 'London Massie'. And London Massie didn't want to spend hours debating which diet Dylan should try next, or listen to how wonderful Alicia was in her last performance at BADASS studios. Don't even get London Massie started on Cam drama. I cared about my friends, yeah, but we weren't the same like we used to be.

That was the moment I forgot to call Claire to hear about school. I chose to talk to James instead of Alicia, and I didn't answer the skype message Dylan requested.

"I don't know. I just… I became one of you guys," I shrugged, and James raised his eyebrow to ask the question without words, as he had done for years.

"I became like you and Strawberry and Quinn and all them. And I just…_forgot_," I bit my lower lip to find that my Cinnabon gossip girl lip gloss had already gone away from the lip, which just made the moment slightly worse.

"Maybe that's why they don't want to talk," James shrugged as he reached for his coke again, and I stared at him with complete surprise. I knew he was probably right. I'd be pissed off it that happened to me, but I didn't want to think like that.

"Hmm," I bit into my sweet and sour chicken.

"What?" he asked a little exasperated.

"Nothing, just thinking…"

"_About_?"

"Oh, you know," I looked up from the food, "I was thinking about how you could have gotten back your shirt tonight, but you're right. I really need to think about what you said."

Most guys would have been a little upset or at least felt a little stupid, but James just smiled.

"Oh, Mass, I waited about _two years_. Besides, you always cave eventually," James went back to his food, and I would have kicked him again if I hadnt known it wouldn't have hurt him one bit.

And the absolute worst part was that he was_ right_.


	3. A Real Alpha Never Gives Up

_**Massie, **_

I looked through the shelves at the drug store, ready to get back.

The deal I had made with James was that I wouldn't go shopping today, and I had every intention on keeping that until James made a very, very important discovery.

Out of birth control.

And there was no way I was taking chances with something like that.

I had a little trouble, but I managed to drive the rental car to the drug store without any wrecks. I had gotten the pill from the pharmacy (first thing I did), but I was now searching the racks for something interesting. On the flight over here, while James was asleep, I brushed up on my American fashion. Sure, my British flair was still hot, but I didn't want to seem _too_ different. At the airport, I bought enough magazines to turn an LBR into America's Top Model, and I was too tired of Vogue to buy _more_.

I reached for a UK-America power converter and was just about to leave when I heard someone say my name.

"_Massie Block_?"

I wheeled around, hoping that it wasn't Derrington or someone like that.

A tall fifteen year old smiled at me with a perfectly white smile. His dark brown hair was newly cut and ruffled in that 'boyish' way, and he wore a 'Briarwood Lacrosse Team' tee shirt over a pair of dark wash jeans. His brown eyes were bright and reminded me of chocolate after a bad day. He may have been about an inch taller than me, but he was too far away to tell.

And I knew _exactly _who it was.

_My first kiss._

"Todd?"

His smile widened a little, and I saw the same dimples he had as a kid.

"Todd Lyons, but, more importantly, it's _the Massie Block_," Todd didn't seem to be making fun of me, but he said it in a way that showed me that I did still have one friend left here. Without another word, I hugged him and tightly closed my eyes for a minute, trying to force the fact that he was my _only_ friend in town.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I missed you, even if you did steal my first kiss," I smiled as I let go.

"I was a kid," Todd shrugged, still smiling, and he continued before I could respond to the 'was' out of that, "When'd you get back?"

"Yesterday," I smiled, trying to seem excited, but it was as easy to see through as Olivia and her fake Prada's.

"That's weird. You'd think my mom would be telling me that a million times," Todd shook his head, probably thinking of how he had been kept out of the loop when he used to _be_ the loop.

"Oh, I wanted to tell the girls myself. So, I had my parents kind of keep it a secret," I explained, a blush forming on my spray-tanned skin.

It was hard to think of this guy as the Todd Lyons I knew when I was a kid. The Todd I knew wouldn't have kept up a serious conversation this long. This Todd seemed different, other than how he had become _hawt_. The last few years seemed to have matured him like fine wine in a French Cellar, and I liked this new Todd.

But, at that moment, I wanted him to be immature. I wanted him to gossip about his sister, and I wanted her to be nearby to reprimand him. I wanted the life I knew here, and Todd was becoming proof that that life didn't exist anymore.

"Well, this explains why Claire's been acting so weird. I was starting to think she was pregnant, or something," he smiled again.

"Yeah," I forced myself past how Claire had been acting depressed like she was pregnant at the news of me being back, "Her and Cam as parents is a scary thought."

Todd stared at me as if wondering about something.

"Cam and Claire have been broken up for over a year. Cam is dating some girl named CeCe, I think. Claire hasn't seen him since the breakup," Todd knit his eyebrows in confusion, "You didn't know?"

I stared at him, not sure what to say.

My mind was reeling. Cam and Claire were broken up? I mean, I basically was the president of the "Dump Cam Already!" campaign, but I didn't think she'd actually do it. They'd been together forever, and I thought they'd get hitched and create even more sensitive children. Claire basically thought that Cam hung the moon, and Cam thought the same about her. And they broke up?

"No, I haven't spoken to her much, but I talked to her about six months ago. She never brought it up…" my eyebrows were scrunched up, and I ignored my mom's anti-wrinkle mantra.

"Well, after Layne left for boarding school, Claire became a different person, and Cam didn't really like that person. I don't really either," Todd continued to look at me, but I didn't much care.

"Layne left?"

"A year ago. She and Claire got in a fight about it, and, as far as I know, they haven't made contact since," Todd answered.

"Gawd, I've missed _everything_. I need to call the PC together-"

"_The PC_? _Together?_"

"Yeah, why?" I crossed my arms, knowing I really didn't want to hear the rest of what he was going to say.

"Those girls can't stand each other," Todd almost laughed, "Alicia rules everyone's life like a tyrant, and she and Dylan hate each other after Josh left Alicia for Dylan. I'm pretty sure Dylan is homeschooled and only hangs out with other famous kids. Kristen left Westchester four years ago and moved to Florida for Soccer Training. Claire doesn't talk to rich kids anymore. It'd be a miracle to get them within a _mile _of each other."

_**Alicia,**_

I tapped my bare foot on the dance floor impatiently.

Bay and CeCe were late for our _ITgirl_ meetings, which just pissed me off. Usually, our meetings took place on Wednesday nights, when we have no dates holding us back from coming, but this was an emergency. Due to their cousin getting in a bad wreck, the family reunion was called out, and the twins booked a train back home while their dad stayed to check on his nephew. The train got back about three hours ago, and they were supposed to be here at 1:00 sharp.

It was 1:30.

And I hate it when people are late, especially Betas.

Olivia smacked her lips and reapplied her lipstick in the dance studio as if she didn't have a care in the world. I checked my reflection out to see if the blonde was upstaging me.

My raven black hair was tied in a clean ponytail, and my brown eyes were as intimidating as ever. My lips went without lipstick or lipgloss to seem professional, and my outfit was beach chic. Under my black top, you could see my blue bikini straps. A see-through button up shirt was poised on top of that, and my new puma shorts showed off my great legs.

Olivia wouldn't know simple if it knocked her upside the head. Her blonde curls were down and looking very beachy. Her dress looked like a navy tank top that had been made too long by going to her mid-thigh, and her ruby red lips made her pale skin seem pretty instead of pathetic. Olivia's clear gladiator sandals made me rethink how I had given them to her a few weeks ago, thinking I wouldn't be able to find another outfit to go with them.

Olivia smacked her lips again, and that snapped me back into reality from comparing outfits.

"I've got gossip!" CeCe's voice filled the dance studio like music blasting through a concert hall. I looked up to see the blonde.

Born to a model and business man, CeCe was given a comfortable life, along with her sister. Her mom was beautiful and a complete gold digger, not that CeCe cared. But her dad loved her mom. Eventually though, he knew she didn't love him, and he signed the divorce papers she gave him about four years ago.

CeCe liked her mother best and didn't care if her dad knew or not. Though born a blonde, her hair started to darken until CeCe broke down and went to the salon to go back to sunny blonde. CeCe had the same light brown eyes as her mother, and she was accepted into the group I started with Olivia in a heartbeat. CeCe had the right looks and was perfect for the boy magnet vibe we planned for our group.

CeCe's blonde hair had been professionally straightened, along with getting extensions, and it stopped just a few inches away from the start of her black mini skirt. Her spring green sweater was long-sleeved, despite the hot weather, and a V-Neck. Her Jimmy Choo heels clacked on the floor like she owned the place, and she walked with determined pride. A black purse hung off her arm while she used her hands to make her announcement even more interesting. She looked like a reincarnation of her mother.

"Sorry, we're late. CeCe stopped to see Cam," Bay came in after her sister.

Bay looked like and acted like her dad. She loved her dad and didn't like her mom at all. Bay was pretty in that 'nerdy pretty' way, unlike her 'bodacious blonde' sister. But Bay's beauty was natural. CeCe has had so much plastic surgery that I lost count, and she was the one who urged me to get my nose job. Bay thought plastic surgery was dumb, and she abstained from it. So, her high cheek-bones, perfectly sloped nose, and plump lips were all things she was born with.

Bay's long black hair was pulled into an artsy side braid, and her outfit was perfect for her. Distressed skinny jeans hugged her body like they were made for her, and a see-through lace sweater showed a black camisole underneath. Her stilettos were a little quieter but did give off a sound. Bay's green eyes were vibrant and happy, like they always were. Her black BoHo bag was pushed up on her shoulder in the way I taught her. She was the only size six in the group, but she didn't much care. Neither did boys, even though she preferred having real relationships instead of the random hook-ups the rest of us have.

"Well, we got some sushi to celebrate me being back, and I saw this bag in the Prada window. And I just had to have it!" CeCe explained, and my eyes stayed hard.

"If you had to have it so much, you could have just paid. Instead, you complained for half an hour for him to buy it," Bay smirked as she came up to me.

"Again, sorry, we're late, Leesh," Bay set her bag down on the floor as she went to the mini fridge which was always stocked with Propel and Vitamin water.

"Ah-nay-way!" CeCe spoke in that loud, over-exaggerating voice she uses after being burned by her sister, "I got news!"

CeCe held up her blackberry.

I had been the one who spread the news, like I had been in the PC. But, like the PC, ITgirls also took turns with Gossip.

"Worth a hundred points!" she smiled again.

Mines_ worth a million…._

"Me, too. 150!" Olivia smiled brightly as well.

"Alright, to the square," I nodded towards the relaxing station in the back.

The glass walls showed a completely white room. A white rug warmed your toes like a mother's hug after getting a scrape on your knee. Comfortable chairs also were pure white, and the only windowless walls were the same pure white. A stereo was built into the ceiling, and you could plug up your iphone to it, which I always did.

I built it three years ago, when my dancing really took off. The inspiration had been from Massie's old room, not that I would tell anyone that.

I was the last one to come into the room, and I closed the door to the soundproof room.

We all took our seats, and I liked our ritual compared to how the PC used to just say it whenever they wanted. Bay reached for the tablet left in there to keep score.

"CeCe?" Bay asked, the official secretary. CeCe smiled at the attention.

"I stopped by the drug store because I was running out of the pill, and I saw Todd Lyons with another, _older_, girl…" CeCe smiled like she had just told us that our old gym teacher was having an affair with a girl our age, which _I_ announced by the way. It was good, but it seemed petty compared to my news.

"That little dog!" Olivia smiled because she loved guys like that, "Would he be interested in me?"

"Uh-ew!" I crinkled my nose with a laugh, and the twins chimed in.

"He's like _twelve_," CeCe smirked.

"Fifteen, and you know I like guys who are…" she waited, not wanting to say asses.

"_Inexperienced_?" I asked, trying to think of another word but it was all I could come up with. Bay and CeCe tried not to laugh but ended up almost rolling on the floor.

"Todd's so adorable though!" Olivia tried, and it just made them laugh harder.

"Guys!" Olivia protested.

"Alright, seriously, let's stop. If Liv wants to fanaticize about a fifteen year old boy who we saw as an annoying nine year old, it's her choice," I bit my tongue not to laugh again, "Let's get back to our tally."

Bay straightened her spine and went back to her tablet, and CeCe straightened her spine and sweater to try to look professional.

"Worth 100," Olivia smiled happily as if we hadn't just made fun of her taste in boys, "Remember how I was totally making out with Windal at Jessica's party?" Olivia twisted her ring.

We nodded.

It was impossible to forget. It had been a few weeks ago, right before graduation actually. Josh wasn't there, and I knew he was with _her._ I had been pretending to be fine, and a boy went to go get me a beer when I saw Windal, Olivia's crush. Enough beer was coursing through my veins to be able to blame anything I did on the alcohol, and I got this great buzz from getting with guys that were taken. Plus I hadnt gotten any action in weeks, and I heard he was good in bed if I wanted to take it that far. I ditched the other guy and went to go after Windal, but he ran into Olivia before I could get to him. She stood seductively in front of the door to leave, and no one was really there since the party was in the other room. She kissed him, and he pushed her up against the wall to continue that. I was pretty sure that Olivia had slept with him as she took his hand and led him to the guest room later, but she hadn't admitted to it yet.

"Well," Olivia smile widened as she had liked the guy for about half a year at that point, "Someone saw us!"

Yeah, _me…._

"Marcie was about to hook up with her boyfriend, and she saw us. So, she told Leslie, and Leslie told Tommy. And Tommy told his girlfriend, and his girlfriend was sisters with Windal's girlfriend. And she told her! Windal is _finally_ single!"

Windal hadn't been single since we were eleven and he caught mono for four months, and it shocked me that_ I _wasn't the one to get this story first.

"Nice one!" CeCe raised her perfectly manicured hand to high five Olivia, and Olivia obliged.

"I say that's worth six hundred, right Leesh?" Bay asked, and I nodded. Usually, I tried not to give big bonuses like that since Olivia would then be at my level, but my news would beat hers like HM vs. Prada.

"My turn," I smiled mischievously, and they stared at me like hungry puppies, wanting to know more.

"Remember OCD?" I asked, and Olivia didn't even need to nod her head since I had all of my classes with her. But I hadnt seen Bay since she was in gifted, and CeCe barely ever came to class.

"Yeah," CeCe leaned to listen closer.

"Remember Massie?"

Bay and CeCe nodded, and CeCe's face became pale. When Massie first came to OCD, our group was already intact, but CeCe didn't know that. For the longest time, she kept trying to either be with Massie or be Massie until it was downright creepy.

"She's back."

"No way!" Bay dropped the tablet onto the floor, but the plush rug saved its fall.

"_Massie?"_ CeCe screeched.

"How do you know?" Bay asked.

"She sent me a text with a picture of her. She's already here. I just don't know where exactly," I nodded, happy to be at the center of attention. I brought out my iphone, and the picture was already there, waiting for me to bring it out.

".GAWD."

"She's… _beautiful_," Olivia looked at the picture for what really was the first time.

I bit my tongue not to say anything or hit anyone or kick them out of my estate.

"What are you going to do, Leesh?"

I stared at her with surprise because I realized that I_ didn't_ know what I was going to do. I had just been thinking of the gossip points I'd get. I knew this was serious, but I hadnt really thought about it until now.

This wasn't just my summer at risk. This was my Alpha status. Massie is a born alpha, and all she has to do is look at you the right way and you love her for life. She always makes things she has the best, even if she got the worst she could get. Besides, a native New Yorker who has been living abroad for the last few years? These LBR's will eat it up like an all you can eat buffet. I'll be a Beta again.

Or worse.

_Nothing._

_**Kristen, **_

I pulled to a stop on the track, my heart pounding and my lungs aching.

This morning was one where I needed to think. So, I got dressed and used my rental car to drive to the track. Honestly, I needed a nice game of soccer, but I didn't know where I could get one. I settled for running, and I had been doing that for about an hour now.

I pulled the headphones out of my ear and stuffed them into my puma shorts pocket. The day felt nice compared to Florida, but it must have been too hot for others because I was basically the only one out here. I went to the water fountain and drank the cold liquid.

As the water reached my skin, I realized that I needed a nice bath when I got back to my Aunts. I began to dread going back there. My cousin was older than me, and just one look from her did it.

I didn't have friends.

I had nothing to do.

I stayed in my room most of the time.

I was in a town that I used to own but no longer had any subjects left.

Sometimes she would say that, and that just made it worse. Sure, she meant it in a nice way most of the time, but I didn't want to hear it. And then my aunt would try to talk to me. She would ask which team I wanted to join in professional soccer, and I was tired of talking about that. Since I was fourteen, I've been hearing about it. My life was set the day I got that letter, and no one ever asked me if that was the life I wanted.

I was trying to place where my favorite pizza place was when I moved my lips away from the water. I was wiping my chin and got out my headphones when I noticed the boy stopping to drink from the fountain. I stared at him in shock for a moment, but I snapped myself out of it as he moved his lips away from the fountain.

"You're fast. I kept trying to keep up," the boy nodded towards the track, and my heart thudded harder. For a moment, I didn't know what to do.

He was noticing _me_?

For the last four years, all of the guys I had dated were athletes. They were just about all in the same training programs as me, and we knew each other well before then. We had all the same friends, and we spent our time around each other. Usually, we stayed good friends after the break-up. There had been one guy I dated who wasn't an athlete, but we soon broke up because he couldn't handle how much time I spent training or studying.

I had almost forgotten about boys coming up to me like this.

"You look familiar. Do I know you?" the boy asked, and I bit my tongue not to give my speech I usually did. I hated when people asked that. I knew what they meant and all, but it was worded wrong. If you _did know_ them, you wouldn't ask.

"Uh, I used to live here, years ago. I'm back in town for the summer," I answered, leaving out Florida, training, or annoying mothers. Even if I never saw him again, I wanted him to think of me as a girl who was just in town. I didn't want to be a soccer player who is given the choice to go pro and is being pressured into it by her annoying mother when she really wants to become a researcher.

"I've lived here since I was born, but it always feels like I'm visiting when I'm here," the boy smiled, and I was about to ask his name when he spoke again, "Race?"

He nodded towards the red line at the end that showed the end of the mile track.

My legs were going weak, and my lungs ached like I had forgotten to breathe for the last hour or so. Though I had felt hot this morning when I got ready, my body was having trouble keeping up my body heat to make my ourfit of puma shorts and a tight workout-shirt alright during this cloudy day. It looked like it might rain any moment now, and I really wanted to drive home to take a nice shower and drink a nice cup of Columbian coffee.

"Sure."

Five minutes later, my foot stepped over the red line in victory. I kept it going a little longer until I could pull myself to a stop and not be in the way to where he could run into me. As I forced myself to a halt and placed my hands on my knees to breathe heavily, the boy's Nikes stepped over the line.

His dark brown eyes stared at me in complete surprise, and I noticed how he seemed weak out of surprise. This was the moment I got a good look t him. He had a soccer player's body, which was a good thing since soccer had been my life for the last four years. His brown hair was newly cut in a way that looked clean and yet casual. His outfit consisted of a simple sleeveless black tee shirt and shorts.

I had noticed he was cute before, but I was now able to determine the caliber without him noticing.

"Damn, girl. I'm guessing your on track or something," he forced a look of friendly amusement on his face as if he hadn't been shocked only moments before.

"Soccer. Training in Florida since I was fourteen," I told him, still breathing heavily.

"Either way, you're still the first girl to beat me in three years. I think I need your name," the boy smirked.

"Kristen, you?" I put out my hand, and he clasped his with mine to shake it.

"Dempsey," he it at the same time I felt the scar on his right palm.

The first boy I had truly fallen for was named Dempsey. I had known about him but hadn't met him until the big BOCD joining. He hadn't been too cute until he came back from Africa. He was like activist fantasy, and his looks and

ut stopping, and my knees went a little weak. I used all of my strength to force myself upright, and I couldn't look away from his beautiful brown eyes, which took a toll on me.

_Dempsey._

_**Dylan,**_

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and felt like throwing up.

My red curls were tied up in a messy bun, and they were starting to fall out. My size six body was forced into a pale purple bridesmaid dress, and I _never_ wore purple as purple on a redhead is only meant for little kid's cartoons. The cold floor made shivers run up my spine as my feet paced along it.

My sisters had been warned to wear nice black stilettoes, as had I. But my sisters were the ones who _remembered_ the warning. Of course they had. They had nothing else to think of. Ryan only had to think of when her boyfriend, Dean who was the son of a rich and retired actor, would propose as the media would have a field day if they learned that he wasn't going to marry the mother of his unborn child. My other sister (_**AN: forgot her name. So, call her Drew**_), Drew, was only now thinking of which new purse from the new line she should be.

But my old Alpha had just returned from across the 'pond' and was trying to reunite my old friends, when we definitely didn't want to be reunited.

So, I was rushed here when I was wearing a pair of sneakers.

Josh's flight landed last night at one AM, and, knowing I wasn't asleep, he called me on his drive home. We spoke until three AM when I just happened to glance at the clock at noticed the time. I had forgotten about my mother's bridesmaid fitting today and had slept in. When I woke at eleven, I got out of bed and went to the theater to see if there were any available auditions, but there were none. I was on my way to _the Grind_ when my phone rang. It was the person who supervised our reality TV show, and she was pissed. She barked at me for not already being at the Bridal shop, and I hurriedly got in my car and drove here out of fear of what she would do if I didn't. She also got mad at me as I was wearing jeans with sneakers while my two sisters had followed her instructions to dress posh. Luckily, my mother came to my aid and was all sweet from her Bridal moment, or at least that's how she put it. In reality, I had been her favorite after I became the only sister that wanted to do something with her life instead of mooch off my mother.

I glanced at my phone, which was sitting by my Gucci tote in a chair that I was not allowed to sit in as it would look unflattering on-camera.

No text from Massie, and more importantly, no texts from Alicia.

I had missed Massie insanely since she left, and I still did miss her. But I knew what she would want to do. She would want to get the PC back together, and that wasn't an option. I had been doing just fine in my life, and I didn't need to go back to _Alicia_. I knew Alicia well enough to know what she would do. First, she would pretend to be okay with it and claim that she was happy with a new beau. Massie would try not to notice how fake Alicia was acting until the big moment. I didn't know what she would do. She might take Josh from me. She might ruin my life by ruining my acceptance into NYU. All I do know is that she would do _something_, and it wouldn't be good.

I was thinking of that when my mom swept into the room.

Her golden bob was cut fresh and very talk-show-host-like. Her bright brown eyes reminded me of chocolate, and her this hands were on her petite waste as she strode in. A new Vera Wang was poised on her small frame, even though Mom hadnt picked out her dress yet.

It was hard to think of my mother marrying again. My dad did. In fact, I was a bridesmaid to the hellish woman about three years ago, and she is currently living in Paris while leaving her two year old son with my father back in New York. They weren't divorced currently, but I could practically smell the cigar scent his divorce attorney reeked of coming on.

"Mom," I stared at her in surprise, amazed at just how beautiful and happy she looked.

"What are you doing? You're not supposed to come in until the cameras are rolling," the producer reprimanded my mother, and she didn't give another thought to it.

"I just wanted to see the girls," my mom smiled at the three of us as her glance washed over us one by one. While her gaze lingered on Ryan's stomach probably to see if she would look to pregnant in the dress later on, my mother continued to seem happy and smiled, "My little girls are all grown up…"

Her brown eyes started to water a little bit, and Brenda, the producer, took immediate action.

"Calm down and get ready for the scene. I'll make sure everythings ready," Brenda smiled like she was an assistant, not really my mom's boss.

"Alright," my mother nodded and went back to the dressing room as she welled up her tears inside her brown eyes. As I watched her, I realized that I hadn't seen her cry much.

She had cried at my parent's divorce.

She cried when my father announced his engagement to his new wife.

She cried out of joy when she won a Golden Globe **(right award, right?)**

She cried out of joy when she became more watched than Oprah, before Oprah left.

She cried when we picked out my prom dress.

She cried at my high school graduation.

But that was really just about all that I could remember of my mother shedding a tear.

And she was crying _now._

I didn't know how to respond, neither did my two older sisters.

We simply watched as my mother went back into the dressing room, tears about to spring out.

"On camera in a five," Brenda snapped us out of it and went to check on the camera man.

My two sisters went back to normal. Drew went to get a glass of Champaign, and Ryan touched up her lipstick. I went from part of the family to the odd man out in a matter of seconds, and a sigh started to build into my throat. I thought about going to my phone, but I had nothing I could do in a short amount of time. Checking for Massie Messages would make me sick to my stomach, making the traditional Champaign toast hard. Calling Josh couldn't be done in ten minutes. And checking my email usually took me a long time because I usually get outraged or interested.

Two arms wrapped around me, and I couldn't think to protest.

"Purple?"

I sighed from relief.

"What are you doing here, Josh?" I turned around to look at him, and I bit my tongue not to kiss him. The make-up crew spent what felt like forever working on me because Brenda had a cow when I showed up without make-up.

"I got your text, and I needed to see you," Josh smiled.

"I'd kiss you if this lipstick hadn't taken ten minutes to put on," I smiled, realizing that I was acting like those lovey dovey kids I had made fun of as a kid.

"I'll wait," Josh kissed my forehead.

After a second, he whispered.

"What happened with Massie?"

I knew no one would hear what he said, and I was happy for that.

"I haven't answered, and she hasn't sent anything else," I whispered back, surprised by how I sounded like a ghost of a girl I used to be.

The ghost of the Dylan that went to OCD. The one who spent forever dieting. The one who cried and ran away from camp after seeing my mom kissing my teacher. The one who also liked Derrington and fought with Kristen to get him before Massie took him for myself. The one who later dated him secretly and got ditched by Massie because of it. The one who gained ten pounds because I found out guys like girls with an appetite. The one who tried to join a co-ed clique but quickly left. The one who was a member of a PC.

The one I was now was different. This was the one who was alright with her weight. The one who was a bridesmaid in her mother's wedding. The one who started dating my ex-best friend's ex-beau, Josh, and was in love with him. The one who hadn't truly had a conversation with my ex-best friends in about four years. The one who was homeschooled with a bunch of other famous kids. The one who was about to head to NYU. The one who was beyond ready to jump into her BMW and drive off to NYU, the town and memories of Westchester in the rearview.

I didn't know which was I really was, which really scared me sometimes.

"Scene Time!" Brenda warned, and my phone buzzed shortly afterwards.

"I'll get it," Josh kissed the crown of my head. I nodded gratefully and went to where Brenda had instructed.

_**Claire, **_

My fingers clacked over the keyboard like the sound Brownie, Massie's horse, used to make when she was getting cleaned in the pavement shower.

After a few minutes of contemplating if I should or shouldn't type in the name, I caved and put in the name for the Prep School in England that Massie attended. Many results showed up, but I knew which one to pick. The URL went straight into it, and the picture of lush grounds and a beautiful school. In _English_ English, it told me about the wonderful place and such.

I skipped watching a video about how their scores compared to those of public school and went to the search box.

_Massie Block._

Many results came up, but I narrowed them down for fourteen that really had her in them.

I simply read the headlines for most.

"Student, Massie Block, makes fundraiser gala the best in years"

_No surprise there._

"Massie Block creates company that helps her school and donates money to charity and school."

_Again, sounds like Massie Block._

"New American student taking the school by storm."

_A, duh!_

"Valedictorian, James Winston, wins top of this year's senior class by just one point against his longtime girlfriend, Massie Block."

_Okay, so she got smart._

I glanced through the rest of the articles. Some just had her name mentioned, like when her boyfriend James won the big rugby match of the season, she was in the picture with him.

Massie still had a charmed life. She's still with the hottest, smartest, and coolest boy in school. She lived in a freakin' castle up in England. She's still beautiful, and I don't see any signs of plastic surgery, unlike Alicia's nose which is completely obvious. Massie still can pull off any party- or any party dress. She already has one of the most coveted journalism spots in one of the best schools in the country (the article said she wanted to work at vogue, and I had no doubt that she would soon).

I wasn't like that anymore.

My blonde hair fell into my face and was seriously in need to get a haircut. My blue eyes were always tired, and my wardrobe had basically all come from Old Navy or HM. I haven't been to a good party in pretty much _years._ I wasn't in a clique. I was just that kid from drama class who was on the school newspaper. I had about three friends, but I was invisible other than that. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. Acting is nice and all, but I haven't been truly on stage, other than school performances, in about five years.

I didn't know what Massie would think of this 'New Claire' since she and the old Claire fought all the time. I didn't know if we would even get along. For the last four years, I had stayed out of high society and forgotten about couture. We probably wouldn't have anything to talk about, and I couldn't handle it if she left again. She was forced to leave the first time, but, if she didn't like me, she could _choose _to leave again.

And I couldn't handle that.

"Claire," my brother barged into my room.

"_Todd_!"

I hated when he did that, not that I had anything to hide, unless you include these awful powerpuff girl pajama bottoms. Todd had been doing this since before I could remember, and I had _always_ hated it. Though becoming serious, thanks to girlfriend Blaire, he still liked to do things like this. Luckily, Todd had never caught me with a boy, unless you include the make-out sessions Cam and I used to have.

While that was great and all, I wished that he had caught me with a boy. I wished that there had been a boy to get caught with.

I hadn't been with anyone in about nine months, and I had almost forgotten what it felt like. Without knowing it, I had become lame.

I went through my senior year without any hook-ups. I didn't go to parties. I became insanely active in the drama club and newspaper. I wasn't even worth a bully's time to torture. The boy I thought I had been in love with, Cam, was currently with some blonde bimbo that Alicia was friends with. My best friends were both from the drama team, and, even Anna who looked like a fifteen year old girl and was obsessed with British boy bands, was getting more than I was. At prom, I was too busy getting pictures for the yearbook and paper that I didn't go with a date. At graduation, I got no awards, and I had nothing to do this summer.

Even my brother had plans. He was going to a day thing for lacrosse and would be going to a two week camp for it next month. Then of course, he had driving down to the beach with his girlfriend. My brother used to be the biggest dork for miles, but that seems to have changed to me. His life is working out just great, and mine seems to have peaked in middle school.

"I saw someone today," Todd told me.

"_And_?"

"It was _Massie Block_."

I bit my lip, knowing my secret now out. Did he already tell Mom? Did she already know? Will she make me go see her?

"She's back," Todd continued.

"I know," I wrapped my arms around my torso, realizing how small my voice was.

"And she said she's been trying to get in touch with you, but you're avoiding her," Todd spoke like it was a question, "And you didn't even tell her that you and Cam split?"

"You don't get it, Todd. She's still perfect, and I'm not the same girl. And she didn't need to know all the sad details of what happened after she left, like the PC breaking up and Cam and I splitting up…" I trailed off, feeling sick to my stomach now.

"Claire, she's trying to be your friend again," Todd lectured, and I bit my lip not to call him 'Mom', "Ever since you and Cam broke up-"

I clammed up.

"You've been acting…_weird_. You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself. And, the last time you were like this, Massie came to your rescue," Todd's brown eyes softened.

"I'm not_ five_, Todd. I don't need to be _rescued_," I glared at him.

"That's not what I meant, Claire."

I knew, but I didn't tell him that.

"At least try," Todd crossed his arms.

"She won't like me!" I tried.

"Just try. Go to lunch or something," Todd shook his head like he was talking to a little kid.

"If she sends something else, I'll answer, okay?" I crossed my arms and began to hope that she wouldn't.

Just as if the alpha could sense me talking about her, my Motorola buzzed.

"The alpha beckons," Todd smirked.

_**Massie, **_

I remembered the first time James and I… "made it official", as he put it.

I had been thinking about it a lot recently for some weird reason.

It was one of those long weekends, and it was three weeks after I turned sixteen. His parents had a cabin off by a lake somewhere. James's dad had three siblings, and they all had places right beside each other there. All of the cabins were in need of getting fixed up, and that was why we were going. The one that was James's dad's was being painted, as was the other one. James and I drove up to the cabin first, and, when we were half-way there, James's phone rang. James answered it, and his mother told him that she and his dad wouldn't be coming due to work. James and I went on though.

When we got there, I instantly fell in love. The cold air was comfortable and slightly damp. The lake water lapped against the shore, and I could hear the ducks for miles. James and I spend the day cleaning and unpacking. He told me about how his parents met here when they were eighteen. I loved the story about how she was teaching canoeing classes as a summer job at the same place he was and, when they both weren't looking, they crashed their canoes. He told me a lot that he hadn't told me before, like how his favorite Christmas happened there, and I listened intently. When the sun set, we both went to bed.

We had slept in the same bed before without doing anything, and we presumed that was how it was going to work out. He leaned in to kiss me, and it kept getting more intense. Eventually James noticed how far we were getting and pulled away, saying that he was sorry since we had both agreed we weren't ready. There was something about that moment. I stared into his passionate blue eyes and realized that I _was_ ready, and that kind of scared me. I didn't take my eyes away from him as I told him that, and it just happened.

I thought I had the same sense of being ready when I boarded that plane for JFK, but nothing had gone right since then.

No word from the four girls I who meant everything to me.

I didn't even know that Claire, who had been like my sister, had broken up with her boyfriend a year ago.

I didn't even know that the Fabulous Five where no longer five.

For the first time in four years, I began to wonder about if I wanted my friends back. I wanted my PC, but were they the PC anymore?

I opened my text application and paused.

"Love you, too, Mum."

I looked up to see my boyfriend walking into the kitchen. His black hair was still wet from wearing a shower, and he was wearing an outfit that was to die for. In his hand, he held his droid, talking to his mother.

After a "nap" (what James told his mother), James took shower. After getting dressed and brushing his teeth, he came out and kissed me. About mid-kiss, James's phone rang.

His mom.

He took the call, and I went to the kitchen to scan through delivery places and make a cup of tea.

I put my phone down on the counter, face down, and brought out the second cup of tea that the Keurig machine had finished. I set it out where he could get it and sipped at my own.

James hung up the phone and smiled at me.

"They're at the cabin," James smiled devilishly, and I couldn't hold back a smile. For the last two years, it had been like a private joke, one which his parents had yet to figure out.

"How are they?" I asked as James got his cup of tea.

"Good, worried, but good," James shrugged.

"Worried for me or you?" I raised an eyebrow with a smile.

I loved his parents. It was hard not to. His father is a surgeon, and his mom is the sweetest woman you will ever meet. She's the kind of mom who, even though kept busy by her home business, made cookies for her son for when he got home and made sure that her family had some sort of sweet treat around. Mrs. Winston always smells of fresh chocolate cookies or some sort of sugary treat. She always says that I'm the reason that her son is so wonderful, and I say that it's her, because it is. His dad is great, too, though. James was their only child, and he always makes time for his family, unlike my parents were. There were days where I wish that his parents were my parents.

"Just worried," he smiled.

"Has your mom stopped with the whole 'my baby is being fed to the sharks' thing?"

"Not a bit," James shook his head, making me smile.

"Are you okay, Mass? You seem a little out of it," James's bright blue eyes searched mine, and I considered lying. But knowing he would tell if I was lying in heartbeat, I broke down and told him.

"I just ran into someone today. That's all," I shook it off, realizing I was almost on the verge of tears.

"And?" James sat down at the bar stool, and I stared at him, not sure what to say though.

"His name was Todd. He's…um… _Claire's brother_," I cringed, "And he _told me_."

"Told you what?" James asked.

"_Everything_," I felt my cool break down until I was just some pathetic girl standing in a kitchen, "My friends hate each other. Alicia became a total bitch. Kristen lives in Florida. Claire doesn't want to see me. Dylan is dating Alicia's ex. And… no one told me."

James stared at me, his eyebrows raised as if to ask if that was actually true.

"Wow, missed a lot, eh?"

Honestly, this was nothing compared to how our lives were in middle school. But they old me, _or someone_ told me about it.

I went on for four years across the ocean, as clueless as Layne in an Ulta store.

"What am I supposed to do? No one will answer me," I pouted without knowing it.

"You're Massie Block. When have you _ever_ let that stop you?" James smiled, and I managed a smile. Excited, I leaned over the counter and kissed him.

_**Three hours later,**_

I reached for my cell phone, which was charging on my bedside.

It had repeatedly buzzed, but I had been too busy with James to notice it. But he was studying for a little bit, letting me get my plans in order.

First I needed to get with the PC. If that doesn't work out, I need to get in touch with Layne. Well, I need to talk to Layne anyway, but still. And I needed to stock up on the New York trends. Calling Quinn is a total must since she'll be freaking out as her next book is due to the publishers in two weeks.

I smiled as I thought of Quinn. Her last book had been due six months ago, and she spent the three weeks leading up to that time screeching every three minutes and surviving solely on Starbucks and chocolate poptarts.

I pressed the Text Application and looked.

Six new text.

One was from Wyatt, asking me about a boy he liked.

Another was from Strawberry, probably about how much fun she was having in France.

The other four made a grin form on my face, and I excitedly went to look at them.

_Dylan: You're right. So should meet. Lunch? Tomorrow maybe?_

_Claire: Tomorrow for lunch? Job interview at three tomorrow, so before then :)_

_Alicia: Need to talk 2 u. Soon as possible._

_Kristen: You're back! EMG! Totally got 2 c u. Just got back 2 NY, too. Want to see you! :D_

_**Sorry so long. But the next chapter is about the reunion :D**_


	4. Who Said Reunions Were Fun?

_**Let's pretend that Kristen didn't dump Dempsey for a fifteen year old.**_

_**Kristen,**_

I looked at the reflection of the mirror in the Juicy dressing room.

It was about nine O' Clock, and I had two hours until I was supposed to meet the PC at _Slice of Heaven_ here in the mall. I had gotten up at eight, and I quickly got in my car and drove off because I didn't want to see my cousin. I came to the mall and first went to Starbucks. After a latte with a strange name and a strawberry muffin, I sat down and thought of a plan. I went from store but couldn't really find anything, and the same was right about this store, too. It didn't feel right to be wearing a ruffle dress, but the salesperson basically forced me into it.

I sighed and began to wriggle out of the mini dress.

In Florida, I lived in a Sports Training town. So, tennis dresses, Puma shorts, and Nike were common sights in the world of fashion there. I usually wore some kind of workout shirt, jeans, ballet flats, and a cardigan. Actually, that was what I was wearing when I came into the store, and it was starting to look like I was going to be wearing that when I saw the PC again.

It wasn't that I didn't like my outfit. It fit going to a pizza parlor and all, but I wanted to look good. This was the first time I'd be seeing everyone in about four years. I wanted to look good and maybe even show off the wealth I had acquired over the years. I knew everyone was going to look good when I get there, especially Massie.

I put the ruffle dress back on the hanger and went out back into the store. I picked up a long necklace and a purse that would go with my current outfit, and I went straight to the checkout line and brought out my wallet.

"You didn't like the dress?" the twenty-something saleswoman asked with a faux pout.

"Not really, and I need to get somewhere now," I faked a smile.

"Alright then. That'll be one forty," she smiled, and I handed over my Amex. She swiped the card, and I signed the machine to show that I was Rebecca Gregory, even though I was her daughter, "Do you want me to wrap up the purse, or will you just carry it out?"

"I'll carry it."

The young woman handed me a small jewelry bag and the pink purse. I slid my small purse into the larger one and left the store, glad to be out of there.

It wasn't a very busy day in the mall. Of course, there were teenage girls and suburban house-wives, but they were always there. A few teenage boys mingled around, either hanging out at the food court or going towards the video game store. The candy store held a bunch of kids, and the next-door jewelry store held their mothers.

So many things had happened to me in this mall, like how I had developed my first crush here when I came to get some pizza with my dad right around the time my parents were getting a divorce. I first fell in love with couture while staring in the windows of all these luscious stores. I had first decided to start playing soccer after one of my friends and I were here with our moms to get clothes for our first day First Grade.

I was sliding on my necklace when I went into the sportswear store.

There was a version of this chain back in Florida, and my friends and I used to spend all of our time there. When most teenagers were hanging out at Sephora or the food court, we were checking out which sneakers were the best and which skateboard is really worth the money at the sports store.

The sounds of the store brought me back home.

Basketballs bouncing on the floors. Sneakers skidding on the floor as they test them out. Skateboards being tried out. Crashes from idiots throwing a football and breaking something. Tennis girls talking about which racket they should buy. Obessessed customers asking the salesperson which product was best. Parents bragging about how great their kid was while the kid bought gum from the gumball machine.

I loved it here.

I went over to the soccer section and scanned through cleats.

"Need any help?"

I wheeled around to see a salesman about my age.

_Dempsey_.

"Kristen," Dempsey's face fell.

"Hey," I could barely breathe as I looked at him.

"You work here?"

"Yeah," Dempsey nodded, "I've been working here whenever I'm back in the States."

I nodded, remembering how he loved to help people.

"That's great. You're really great for this job."

An awkward silence filled the air. After a minute or two, he finally spoke.

"Um, do you need any help or anything?"

"Oh, I'm just kind of browsing. I'm seeing the PC for the first time in four years at Eleven. And sports stores always calm me down."

"The PC is still together?" Dempsey asked. I guess he was always so busy with soccer, school, his job, and his charity work that he didn't know. At the time I left, he was about to go on a school thing in Long Island for a few weeks as it was excused absence by Briarwood.

"No," I shook my head, "That's why I'm so nervous."

Dempsey nodded, not sure what to say. I didn't know what to say either.

It had been so long since I had talked to him. I had spoken to guys a lot, but I just couldn't handle talking to him for some weird reason.

"I better get back to work," he nodded towards the rest of the store, and I summed up all of my courage to speak before he turned around to get back to work.

"Listen," I bit my lip, and Dempsey reeled around to look at me.

"We're both kind of new here again, so maybe we could hang out or something," I smiled weakly, suddenly scared he'd brush me off and go back to work. If he had dumped me the way I dumped him, I would have just walked away at that and claimed that it would be too uncomfortable.

"Sure."

I felt a smile slide across my lips.

"My shifts about to end, and I have an hour before I have to go pick up my twin brothers from the babysitters. Want to get a coffee or something?" Dempsey added, and I bit my tongue not to immediately say yes.

"Sure, I'd like that, Dempsey," I smiled gently, and he nodded.

"Just give me about ten minutes," he told me, and I told him sure.

_**Claire,**_

I continued to eat my gummy worms and thought about my planned day.

At nine AM, I had breakfast with my family and listened to my mom talk about her friends and Massie.

At ten AM, I had finally finished getting dressed.

At ten thirty AM, I had a salon appointment that was supposed to only last thirty minutes.

At eleven, I was going to see the PC.

Three hours later, when I had calmed down from that, I was going to go for a job interview at the local theater since they needed help.

Then, I would be stuck with my family as they asked me a million times what had happened, and that was so going to suck.

Trying to no longer think about it, I threw my empty gummy worms bag to the Camri's passenger seat. I grabbed my purse and turned off the car's engine.

It had been a miracle to get the car from my brother. He was a great driver, but my parents said they wouldn't buy him a car until he got a _real_ license, instead of a learners permit. So, thanks to my parents offering my car, the Camri has been shared by my brother. When college comes, my parents are going to help Todd buy a car, just like they did for me. He's spent forever working at odd jobs during the school year and helping out a day camp in town so that he could buy car. Our parents had an amount that if we got to a certain amount, they'd pay the rest. Todd reached that point six months ago, way faster than I had because I kept wasting money. But something happened, and Todd had half of what he used to have. By August, he should have enough, and I'll finally get my Camri back.

I guess it's not like I had many places to go though. My last job had been only for that season, and I was currently unemployed. So no driving to work. My social life is like one of a criminal that was sentenced to Siberia. So parties are out of the question. Due to having absolutely no social life, just as stated before, I don't meet many guys. So no driving to see my boyfriend. Thanks to not having a job, my money is on short supply. So no shopping trips.

Basically, I go to Anna's work, my friend's houses, and the candy store. And that's it.

I quickly made my way across the parking lot and into the music store. I was in one of those shopping centers outside of the 'heiress side' of town. There was a tattoo parlor on the left edge of the shopping center, and a 'Staples' was beside that. The music store took third from the left, and a dress shop took the final slot. Cars of all different kinds of makes and models filled the parking lot, except for the spots for the music store, _Notes for Life_.

While the name is kind of corny, this place attracts all kind of people. But, even the few Justin Bieber girls who go in, aren't awake by now. And that is exactly why my best friend, Anna is given this shift.

She's a sweet girl, and she's not a bad saleswoman. But there is something about her.

Maybe it's the way her bright brown eyes seem as innocent as a newborn. It could be the way her body looks like one of a fifteen year old. Possibly, the way she loves British boy bands could be ruining her. Maybe the way she wore a lot of pale pink and loved her pet Kitten, Bay-Bay, more than anything in the world was making it hard.

But it just didn't work for her.

You can buy Justin Bieber from her. Katy Perry or Miley Cyrus was a given as well. But you definitely can't buy Metallica or Usher. You just can't seem to go to the cash register and pay with her there.

The bell rang that annoying little chime as I pushed the door open and stepped onto linoleum floor. While I wasn't a big music enthusiast, I had always loved it here. The ceiling had been fitted with silver plates above us, with a bright light bouncing off the metal in a way that illuminated the entire store. The walls were covered with a wall paper that was made to look like a bunch of newspapers on top of each other, except for the paying section where musical notes covered that back wall. The speakers for the place were built into the walls in a way that you could barely see it unless you were really looking for it. The racks were perfectly set up so that you could find it with ease, and the CDs looked so alluring I almost wanted to buy them all. In the very center, they had a listening station. Three months ago, the store set up a little bar-type thing where you could test out the music since they added every song they had in stock. There was a white shag rug that warmed your toes like the sand at the Hamptons. A few modern and very comfortable black chairs sat on the shag rug, and a few tables had music magazines and a giant screen showed minute-to-minute updates of different music sale charts, as if to influence what you should and shouldn't buy.

This place had always been cool, since the day it opened twelve years ago. About six months ago, the old owners of _Notes in Life_ sold the store to move to a beach down south, where her dentist husband got a great job. I didn't know who it was sold to, but they luckily hadn't made one change to it.

Anna looked up from her computer screen that was built into the glass countertop and smiled at me. Her outfit was one that should have been recorded for all time, just so they could see how crazy it was. A pale blue _'Notes in Life'_ tee shirt hugged her tiny body, and she had her nails to match it. Her brown hair was held out of her eyes by a blue heart clip. Her jean shorts were longer than they were supposed to be because she was so short, and she had a pair of striped blue leg warmers with black converse underneath.

"Thank God you're here. It's so _boring_ here," Anna complained as she crossed her arms. I smiled as I kept on walking to the checkout and put my purse down there.

"Why are you up so early? I thought you said you always needed to sleep on job interview day," Anna smirked, making me smile. I was about to respond when the bell chimed to show that the door was opening again.

"Welcome to Notes in Life. If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to ask," Anna smiled her saleswoman smile, and I immediately turned around to look at the new shopper.

She was definitely a sight. Her black hair had a slight wave to it, and a chunk of blue was dyed into the right side. The way her green eyes sparkled was like looking at a Tiffanies display. Though she had some muscle, she was still thin. Though I had been hot today, she was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans that could have given me a heat stroke just looking at them. Her combat boots had blue laces to match her hair and tee shirt. With the words 'Geek is the New Pink' printed in block letters. A black shrug topped it all off, and I noticed in the light that she had a piercing in the right nostril and a few piercings up the side of her left ear.

She nodded towards Anna, knowing she wouldn't need help.

As she walked away from the door and went to the 'Emo/Rock' section, I found myself staring. I didn't mean to. It was just that she was so different from me. She had a look. She had a look, when I was just wearing clothes. She had a life, and I didn't. And she seemed so familiar…

"So, did you decide on if your going to Carmen's party. It's tomorrow, you know. I was thinking we could go shopping after your interview, if that's okay with you. Do you think your mom would let you sleep over? We havennt had a sleep over in months," Anna kept on talking, and it took me a minute to realize that it was her voice I was hearing, instead of just noise.

"Uh, yeah," I forced myself into the conversation, "I'm totally going to need some fun after today."

"It's just an interview, Catty-Claire."

I glared at her for the nickname, even though I quickly remembered I hadn't told her about Massie being back in town. I hadnt been able to find the words. Anna didn't even really know who Massie was, other than some really pretty girl in some pictures she had seen. Other than that, Tara and Anna were clueless. I knew who Massie was first hand. I knew her better than anyone, probably even more than her parents actually do.

"No, it's not," I bit my lip, readying myself for the upcoming question to follow that.

Anna was about to ask it when the door opened again.

"Hey, Boss," Anna nodded, smiling like she was working hard, and she quickly looked back to me. Curious, I turned around to see who she was talking about.

There stood a boy, about 6'0. His black hair was newly cut, and his eyes were breathtaking. One eye was light blue, and the other was blue and green at the same time (I don't know how, but they were). He was dressed in jeans, a 'Romney All the Way' tee shirt, sneakers, and a black hoodie with the headphones built in. He looked to be about my age, and I couldn't picture calling him a boss. The boy nodded towards Anna, smiling like they were friends or something.

Behind him, a girl looked completely out of place. Her blonde hair was newly dyed California Blonde and professionally straightened. The ponytail she had her hair pulled up in probably took an hour and hundreds of dollars in extensions to get right. Her blue eyes took in my outfit and Anna's in the blink of an eye, and she smiled her newly bleached teeth at being hotter than us. Her white jeans reminded me of ones I used to have in middle school before tragically ruining them. A light blue sailor top hung off her size four frame, and her three inch crème heels made such a noise as she walked that I'm pretty sure the entire shopping center could hear it.

I felt my heart stop as I realized who it was.

_Cam and his new girlfriend._

Cam looked at me for a second, as if trying to place me, but he quickly went over to the other girl.

"Cammy!" the one with black hair smiled and ran over to hug him. He swirled her around for a second and set her right back down where she had been.

"Layney!"

My heart stopped again.

"Oh my _GAWD_! I can't believe you bought this place. We used to hang out here like twenty-four-seven!" Layne smiled at him, oblivious to her ex best friend standing in the same room.

"Yeah, used to," Cam finally let go of her, "Before you ditched the band to go to professional."

"Hey, Derrick had already quit and was just hanging out with us at practice. We all basically spent our time playing video games and drinking!" Layne continued to smile, not even glancing at Cam's girlfriend.

"And there was a problem with that?" Cam smirked, making Layne's smile widen.

The three of us had always been close, but they had a special bond. They weren't dating, and they weren't in it to be romantically involved. They were more like siblings than best friends, and I knew that Cam would always chose his friendship with Layne instead of our relationship if I made him choose. And I guess I did, making me lose both of them in one devastating blow.

Cam's girlfriend fake-coughed for attention, and the two turned to her. Layne's face turned into one of disgust, but she quickly hid it for Cam's sake.

"Oh, right, Layne, this is my girlfriend, CeCe."

"Hi, Layce," CeCe held out her hand and smiled, clearly not trying to be mean but really didn't know she said the name wrong.

"_Layne_, DeDe," Layne met the handshake and smiled like 'two can play at that game'.

CeCe's smile evaporated, and both of their eyes were basically declaring war on each other, not that Cam noticed.

"Layne has been like an older sister to me, always reprimanding me and bossing me around," Cam smirked, trying to break the silence.

"Well Cam here needed it, especially after last summer," Layne purposely brought up a private joke, and Cam laughed a little bit.

"What happened last summer?"

Layne and Cam looked between each other and just smiled, not wanting to share their little secret, and that just made CeCe want to rip out Layne's severely dyed blue streak.

_**Dylan,**_

"Good morning, Dylan," Drew looked up from her small plate of about four scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, half of an orange, and a glass of water.

I hated when I saw Drew eating absolutely nothing while I was eating nice greasy bacon. While I would never go back to that place of eating one piece of scrambled egg and a glass of water, I hated seeing it. I hated the look those girls have in their eyes as they watch me eat my food while they restrict themselves to keep their body in shape. I hated how they acted like they were so much better than me because they didn't eat and I did. They thought that they had self-control and are being rewarded by their bodies.

But they were being punished by always being mean because they're hungry. By hurting their bodies until they will have weight problems later in life. By having dental problems, if bulimic. By most likely being unable to conceive whenever it comes down to the time where they want to. By hurting their daughter's self-confidence, _if_ they can conceive, by continuously bringing up all of their weight stuff.

But those girls will never see it like that. Or they might, but they wouldn't see it now. It would be years, until they had their own teenage daughters with weight problems.

"Morning, Drew," I sat down at the grand dining table, away from Drew.

"I hate Brenda," Ryan complained, patting her growing stomach. Usually, Brenda had her dress to hide it, but the cameras were set up to go with my mom on her week in LA starting tomorrow. So Ryan could wear a tank top that showed her baby bump and a pair of snoopy pajamas. We could go without make-up. Drew could tell us about all the men she's been with in our weekly game of "I've got it better", which Ryan has recently been losing.

I liked it when Brenda was gone, but I wished mom could be here to enjoy it, too.

"She's been having you dress pretty spectacular. If I hadn't read the pregnancy test with you, I wouldn't know you were pregnant," Drew smiled as she sipped at her water, and Ryan set her plate down infront of me, which I noticed was without eggs. She used to love eggs. She said that they were her favorite breakfast food. Then about two months ago, when she conceived the baby, she couldn't stand it. At first, she just thought the eggs were bad. Soon afterwards, the just the smell, or even the sight, made her run towards the bathroom. That was actually how she decided to take the pregnancy test. She was having breakfast with her boyfriend, and he brought out her favorite scrambled eggs and his favorite bacon. She ate every bite of bacon and not one little piece of egg. He pointed that out, and she tried to prove him wrong. So, she ate some scrambled eggs, and it took all of two minutes before she ran to the bathroom to throw up. He asked her if she was okay, and that was the first time she really thought about it.

"After I barely fit into those seven jeans, she has been starving me. She threw out all of the junk food, even my secret stash. The baby wanted chocolate, and this baby is probably going to hold it against me for the rest of my life because I didn't give it chocolate," Ryan ranted as she dug into her plate.

"The baby won't remember," Drew pointed out.

"It'll still blame me. We blamed Mom and Dad for stuff they didn't do all the time. Why wouldn't my kid? Oh, and knowing Chase, he'll probably spoil the kid rotten. For God's sake, his sister just found out she was having a girl, so Chase went and bought a diamond incrusted pink bathtub like Beyonce got when she had her baby," Ryan continued to talk as she ate, "And that baby isn't even born yet. Can you imagine him with his own baby? It's scary as hell!"

"You should have thought of that before you had that wild night at the _'work retreat'_ in London and created that little thing," Drew smirked as she finished off her slice of toast.

"Like you haven't had your wild nights, Drew," Ryan gulped down her orange juice, clearly starving.

"The point of life is to enjoy things. And _that_ is definitely enjoyable," Drew smiled, and Ryan shoved her playfully.

"Speaking of that, what about you and Josh?" Drew smiled in my direction. Though we did talk a lot to each other, it was weird to be like this. We usually had our own lives when the show was around, but it was like we were back to our old life. We were just sisters with a famous mother and asshole for a father.

"What?" I blushed to the shade of my hair.

"Have you and Josh, you know…_done it_?" Drew raised an eyebrow at me.

I felt my voice falter.

Yes, we had, but I didn't like bringing it up to my sisters. I never really had before. I brought it up to my friends, and we debated stuff like that. But this wasn't an accepted topic in my relationship with my sisters.

"That's my girl!" Drew smiled, knowing without me even having to say anything, "Nice one. Soccer dudes are _always _the best."

I stared at my sister.

"But be careful," Ryan sang as she rubbed her growing stomach, making us all laugh.

After about fifteen minutes of eating and talking about anything and everything, Ryan came to the question I didn't want to be asked.

"So, what are you guys doing today? Chase and I are going shopping for engagement rings. I can't wait!" Ryan smiled, glowing that pregnancy glow that none of her spray tans that she had spent a fortune on could ever capture.

"Driving to the city with Melena. We have a double date tonight. Melena's with an actor, and I'm with the suit. But he's a really nice guy," Drew quickly assured us.

After her twenty-first birthday, when she found out that her long-time-boyfriend who she thought she was going to marry was cheating on her, Drew gave up on love, especially with 'Suits'. She finished college and told our mom she needed a year off, which she definitely deserved. It was the end of that by now, and she was verging on twenty-three this fall. After her twenty-first, she had gone wild, and she had been slowly taking it down a little bit in the last two years. And dating a 'Suit' was a big step in that process, after the last suit left her for a nineteen-year old blonde model and had also had a meeting with his mistress in Drew's city apartment, when she asked him to keep it up for her while she went with the family to LA.

"Nice," Ryan nodded, seeing it the same way I was too.

"What about you, Dyl? Any plans? Or just hanging with your little soccer player?" Drew smiled a sinister smile that took away what little appetite I had left.

I was tempted to answer that I was going out with Josh with his family as they drove up to the beach to sail on their boat. Or meeting my friends as their flight got back from their graduation vacations. Or going to sign up to be the star in a new play that was just announced last night. Maybe even claiming that the sushi we went for in town was making me sick and that I was going to bed.

But I couldn't seem to lie to my sisters. Not now. Not when we were doing so much better.

So, I bit my tongue and told them the truth.

"Massie texted yesterday. She's back in town, and we're all meeting for lunch in a few hours," I shrugged, trying to seem uninterested.

Drew dropped her glass of water, and I heard it break with a crash. But neither of them noticed.

"_Massie?"_

"_Back?"_

"_Now?"_

"_Lunch?" _

"_Today?"_

They kept doing that until Drew got to the important question.

"Does she know?"

Does she know?

Know that the PC broke up? Know that Kristen lives in Florida? Know that Alicia is a slutty bitch who rules PMS? Know that I'm homeschooled? Know that I'm dating Alicia's ex, just like I dated Massie's ex? Know that Claire become Public School again and isn't even dating Cam anymore? Know that Layne moved to a NYC boarding school for the gifted?

Does she know that everything changed?

"No."

She doesn't. And I can say that it is her fault for not being here. I can say that she shouldn't expect us to hold on to her life while she lives another. But we were a group. We were _friends_. And we _lied_.

We've been lying for years. We've written that we're fine. We've accepted and sent presents for holidays. We've emailed, laughing about things with the PC that didn't really happen. We made her think that she still had a life here. And she came back for it.

But the truth is that we didn't even have a life here anymore. We became different people, people who can't stand each other. We got different lives.

Lives without each other.

_**So, do you remember that punk guy who Kristen thought she liked after getting the bunker in OCD? The one whose dad owned the pizza place? Well, I donated all of my Clique books before I knew the series was ending, and I cant get to his name. So for argument's sake, let's call him Liam Roberts.**_

_**Massie,**_

I looked in the mirror of the Prada store and thought back to the many shopping bags that filled my rental car at the very moment. I thought back to the closet full of British couture. I thought back to the closet back home that I had left, thinking I wouldn't need it.

This was one of those things you would never get to do again. It was like taking your baby for its first haircut. It only happens once in a lifetime. A parent wants to at least have a camera during the moment that their child gets the haircut, and you need a perfect outfit for seeing your friends for the first time in four years.

I almost wished that I had postponed the meeting until I could get to work and see what was popular in the world of fashion, but I needed to see them now.

I had woken up at seven AM this morning. I was drying my hair from my shower when James woke up. Seeing as I needed it more, James took a shower in the other bathroom and got ready there. I wasn't even close to being ready as I handed James his coffee and kissed him goodbye. He had spent the entire morning laughing at how long it was taking me, and I was almost happy to see him go. _Almost_. I then used a flat iron to keep my hair straight real quick and got dressed. I hurried into my car and drove from store to store, shopping for a new wardbrobe.

Now, here I stood in the Prada store, holding one bag from Abercrombie, where I picked up some workout clothes, and about to get another one from my purchase.

My reflection showed me looking great, but I wasn't sure if it was good enough. My dark wash skinny jeans, that were my _lucky_ jeans (the last instance of them being lucky was that I was wearing the jeans when I found out that my last pregnancy scare three months ago was just a scare) made me look taller. My insanely high crème heels were hard to walk in, but they were totally worth it. I had a black blazer unbuttoned to show a white loose shirt that was similar but not _too similar_ to a shirt I had seen Ryan Marvel wearing when I was catching up on my American TV. A few long necklaces that James had given me hung over the loose shirt for good luck as well.

I quickly finger-brushed my straight brown hair and made a mental note to make a hair appointment because my lowlights were starting to look a little dull. But, other than that I needed nothing face-wise. My amber eyes shone brightly, like the sun as James always said. My make-up was perfect, and I had worn the pearl earrings that had always made me look skinnier somehow (my mom explained it to me as we bought it at Tiffanies a few months ago, but I couldn't remember now).

I didn't like how I felt nervous. I didn't like how I was without the support of my friends. Not even my Amex was helping me out since I had tucked it away at the bottom of my purse so I wouldn't be tempted not buy anything. My cell phone wasn't prepared to record anything some idiot says so I can ruin them. There was no warm cup of Jasmine tea and croissant to calm my nerves.

For first time in years, I felt truly alone.

And I _hated_ that.

My cell phone buzzed from inside my Tori Burch tote, and I quickly turned off the alarm and decided against buying the new mini skirt I had in my hand. So, I set it back down on the racks and left the Prada store. It felt impossible to run from the store down to a restaurant about six over, but I somehow managed in those heels.

As I came in, I felt the immediate heat.

I had remembered that this restaurant had been off limits as kids because it felt like we were in an oven every time we came in, but it had fit the bill for today. I didn't need some fancy place with Champaign to toast to, and I definitely didn't need outfits that probably cost more than a new car. I just needed a place to meet that seemed friendly.

"How many?" a bored waiter about my age asked, and I tried to seem upbeat, even though I felt like passing out.

"Five."

He grabbed five menus and went without another word towards the tables, expecting me to follow. By the time he finally chose a table in the center, like the one we had at OCD, I wanted to throw away these heels. But he put the menus around the circular table, and I mentally chose the one in the center, where the PC would have to be blind not to see me and wouldn't be able to claim that they hadn't seen me as they came in.

"What do you want to drink?"

"I'll just wait for my friends," I smiled, and the boy nodded before leaving me alone.

I sat down at the table, trying to think of the times I had at OCD. I had been like Kate Middleton there. No one dared question me, except for Alicia, but Alicia was always different. It didn't matter what happened. I was always the one on top in OCD. In KISS, people loved me, but the illusion was shattered. They didn't bow down at my feet just because I was me. I had to work for it. I had to be the best in everything, not that I was.

KISS taught me a lot, but there were times where I would long for the easy rule of OCD.

I don't want to date, and everyone applauds myself control.

I get kicked out and get offered a role in a movie, which my best friend later took since I didn't want to be the loser (as I told it, not as she did).

I show up in clothes I made myself, and everyone wants to buy them, too.

If I had gotten kicked out of KISS, I could have done _anything_ and I still would never be the queen again. KISS had a standard, and I wasn't sure if I should love it or despise it.

After about three minutes, I looked through the few faces in the restaurant. A group of boys sat in a booth and kept glancing at me, and the two I could see didn't look familiar. A few sixteen year olds were talking about their purchases and eating side salads only, and they also kept watching me. An adorable couple laughed throughout their date, and neither could see past each other to even notice me.

I suddenly began to long for James. We had been apart lots of times, yes, but I still missed him. I would still have moments where an overpowering urge went through me to call James just to hear his voice, not that I usually gave in. Some nights at home, all of a sudden, I couldn't handle one bit that James wasn't beside me.

My mom says that she feels like that about my dad and that it means I really love him, but it's still annoying.

After another ten minutes of waiting, I was about to motion for the waiter to come so I could order some sort of wine when I saw a girl come through the front door.

Her dark red ringlets swept down her back and onto her green wrap top. A cute black mini skirt had little buttons up the right side and showed off her great legs. Her black stilettos made her grow about three inches, and she held a great green purse that made me rethink not wearing green.

_Dylan._

The redhead waitress nodded towards my table, and Dylan wheeled around on her high heels to look at me. Her mouth formed an 'O' for a second before smiling brightly.

One down. Four to go.

I smiled back at her, and she somehow managed to run in her black heels. I stood up, and the second she got there, she bearhugged me.

"Ehmigawd! You look great!" Dylan smiled.

"Look at you. I love that purse! Where'd you get it?" I smiled, realizing that I had nothing to fear with Dylan. We were picking up right where we left off. Dylan held up her purse proudly.

"My mom had it specially made for me for graduation," Dylan smiled as we both sat down, and she waved towards the waiterq.

"So, I heard the PC broke up. Have you heard from them at all?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"Only Alicia, and it hasn't been in a good way," Dylan shook her head, and I leaned forward in my chair to hear more.

"Do you want to wait for the rest or go ahead and get a drink?" the waiter asked, holding a pad poised for taking note of what we wanted.

"Chardonnay," Dylan told him, smiling her newly whitened smile, and I answered the same drink. He wrote it down and was about to walk away when Dylan stopped him.

"Wait, you're Liam Roberts, right?"

"Yeah, do I know you or anything?" Laim turned around to look at her, and I suddenly remembered who he was.

His black hair had been trimmed, and his dark brown eyes no longer had eyeliner around them. His nails weren't ink black, and he had become a whole lot taller naturally. His pale skin was now tanned, and I noticed that he was also not wearing make-up of any kind, like the last time I had seen him. But he was definitely that boy I had seen in this pizza place who Kristen fell for and went to a costume party right before the Boy Fast.

"Yeah, you went out with my friend, Kristen for a while. It was forever ago though, so you probably don't remember," Dylan shrugged.

"Kristen Gregory?"

"You remember her?" Dylan smiled again.

"Hard to forget a girl throwing a bowl of Chex mix at you."

I laughed under my breath.

"Wait, you're Massie Block," Liam's eyes widened at me.

"Yeah, I just got back last night from London yesterday. I'm here for the summer. My boyfriend has a medical internship here," I nodded, trying to remember things about Liam but I had never really talked to him until now.

"Nice, this is my last summer here. After this, I'm off to Boston."

"You're going to school there?"

"Harvard."

"Nice," I nodded towards him, showing how I was impressed.

"I'll get your drinks," Liam nodded towards the kitchen, and he quickly left.

I was about to ask what had happened between Dylan and Alicia when I noticed someone else at the door. The blonde looked at us, and she wasn't smiling like Dylan had. Instead, she was frowning as if she was walking into a funeral, not seeing her old friends.

_Claire._

Her pale blonde hair was as straight as the last time I had seen her, and her bright blue eyes looked depressed. She was wearing light green polo dress that I had FedExed Claire for her birthday a few months ago. I had to admit that she pulled off the Country Club look better than I ever could. I couldn't remember a time when Claire had looked like such a bitchy snob as of right now, but I knew she was just scared or something.

Claire came towards us, her blue gladiator sandals slapping the hardwood floor like girls fighting over a guy. I felt a deep fear within my soul that I had tried to lock away from the moment we become friends be stirred. _Claire was rejecting me_. It was one of those things that kill you from the inside out until you are just a lifeless body where a confident girl used to be. It hurts you like watching your best friend with your boyfriend. It breaks all the rules of life, or the rules you thought you had but clearly no longer did. It wasn't that she wasn't allowed or anything, but it just broke my heart.

"Massie," she smiled like a friend, even though I knew she wished she wasn't here. She put her blue tote down and sat down at the seat that was farthest from me and Dylan.

"Ehmigawd! You look great, Claire," Dylan tried to break the tension, but I knew it wasn't working well. There was no way it could ever work.

"Dylan, wow, I haven't seen you in forever," Claire smiled weakly, clearly not wanting to talk.

I was trying to come up with something to say when I noticed another blonde in the doorway.

_Kristen._

Her sandy blonde hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and she was wearing a sports look that I never could have pulled off. A sheer white top was left unbuttoned with a white camisole underneath. A pair of jeans shorts showed off her athletic figure, and she held a new black purse that I had considered buying twenty minutes before. This was the first time I had ever seen Nikes look good, and I was happy to see that she was smiling at me like Dylan had.

Kristen smiled as she came towards us and first went to hug me.

"You look great, Massie!" Kristen smiled and looked over at Dylan, "And she looks even better off-screen! Hey!"

"God, you look hot! Maybe I should take up soccer," Dylan smiled brightly, and I nodded in agreement.

"Claire, hey! Just got back from Florida. I finally see why you love it so much. It's great," Kristen smiled towards Claire.

"Hey," Claire smiled weakly again.

It was at that time that I saw the final one.

_Alicia_.

Her raven black hair was straightened and pushed back. Five carat diamond earrings hung from her ear, and her outfit was one that didn't belong at _Slice of Heaven_. Her white bandage dress ended just above her knees and made her look like Kim Kardashian. While I didn't see any other sign of plastic surgery, it was obvious that her nose was fake, even if the surgeon had done a great job. Her think lips pursed at us, and she walked the 'bitchy model' walk that I hated.

So, two were for me. And two _weren't. _

_**Alicia, **_

I finished off my mojito and tried not to think of how this meeting had gone.

First, I saw that Dylan and Kristen were still choosing Massie over me, which pissed me off. They acted like no time had gone by, which _also_ pissed me off. While I did have Claire on my side, it wasn't much of a good ally.

Then even the waiter became friends with Massie.

We all toasted to Chardonnay, and Kristen instantly started a conversation like they were best friends. She admitted that she had met Dempsey for coffee and spilled it all over herself, making her buy that new outfit that happened to look wonderful. Dylan continued with that, and she almost brought up Josh, which made me want to kick her size-six un-toned ass.

I ordered a salad and planned on eating just that, but Massie urged me to get 'real' food like all of the other girls were. So I ordered the lasagna meaning I had broken the 'salad-only' rule made by my dance instructor.

Then I paused to listen to something Massie said, and the lasagna fell onto my brand new white dress that I had spent forever picking out with CeCe yesterday.

And, finally, the absolute worst was what came a few minutes later. We were laughing, and my laugh became _real_. I found that I had missed my old Alpha. I missed the Friday night sleepovers and the constant laughing. Everything about what we had, even our constant fights, became things that I missed at that moment.

And that was just_ not _acceptable.

"Oh, crap, I have to be home like now. My aunt is trying to get me a tutoring gig with her friend, and I'm supposed to meet the person in like ten minutes. I'll text you. Promise," Kristen got up and hugged Massie. She said goodbye to the rest of us and ran out, quickly saying bye to Liam.

"I have a job interview, too. Better go," Claire nodded towards Massie, clearly wanting to leave.

"Bye, Claire," Massie smiled her alpha smile towards her, and I regretted having finished my mojito.

I coughed and looked at Dylan, basically screaming for her to leave.

"I'll text you later. I'm heading over to Dad's for dinner with my sisters, so I need to get home to be the 'Sane Sister' for the day," Dylan smiled as she got up from the table and hugged Massie goodbye. She quickly scurried away, and I prepared myself for what I was about to do.

I had had many of Alpha-Stand-Offs in my day, but this was different. It was the student VS the master. It was a battle for all centuries. The kind that you pay out the nose for on pay-per-view. I waved towards Liam and pointed towards the mojito. He rolled his eyes but went back to the bar to get it for me.

A few moments later, Liam set my mojito down and gingerly handed Massie a new chardonnay.

"Thank you so much, Liam," Massie smiled, and he nodded before going back to other customers.

"So, Massie," I looked at her, trying to find some sort of flaw.

A mistake while doing her makeup. Frizzy hair. A stain on her outfit. The way she sat making her outfit crinkle. A bad frown. Premature wrinkles. Plastic surgery marks. Lip stick smudges from eating. _Anything_.

But I saw _nothing._

"So, Alicia," Massie nodded, smiling even though she knew what was about to happen.

"Four years? Wow," I sipped at my mojito.

"Yeah, long time, huh?" Massie sipped at her drink, too.

"So much has happened," I smiled wide.

"Alicia," Massie paused, "What is it?"

I sat up and uncrossed my legs.

"You know what it is."

"Remind me then."

I waited, ready to be the biggest bitch Massie Block had ever seen.

"This is _my_ city. I'm the queen. And I have been for the last four years. You have London, and, from what you say, it was great there. So, why are you back?" I crossed my arms, hiding the giant red stain on my new dress.

"Have you ruled out that I missed my friends?"

"If that was true, you wouldn't have ditched us, Massie," I bitterly spat.

"Is that what this is all about? Me not calling?" Massie knit her eyebrows in confusion.

"No," I wasn't sure if it was a lie or not, "I just know you too well. So what? You were Alpha in the UK? Now you're back to reclaim your title?"

Massie stared at me, disbelief spread across her pretty face.

"Why are you so scared that I will?" Massie crossed her arms, too.

I didn't have an answer for that one.

"No I'm not."

"Then why do you keep bringing it up? If you're such a good alpha, then your subjects won't leave."

"They wouldn't leave."

"Then why give me a hard time? I'm here to be with my friends. I screwed up, and I'm trying to fix it," Massie's voice was still strong, just as it always had been, but I heard something else there too. I didn't hear the scolding voice of my Alpha, reprimanding me for things I had done against her. I didn't hear a war general, planning out a battle to take the crown. I didn't hear that confidence that is so strong that it's sickening. The pride that only a girl of her beauty and social standing could manage seemed to have evaporated into thin air.

It was almost as if that Massie was buried beyond a new Massie. A Massie who had matured from pushing people down to get what she wanted. A Massie who wanted her friends by her side, instead of an ocean away. A Massie who no longer saw the world in orders but as opportunities.

I didn't respond. I_ couldn't _respond. I had never seen her like that. The last four years had been filled with me seeing her as that cruel Alpha who only thought of herself and her social standing. I had thrived on it. I had worked hard, thinking if only Massie could see me then. I wanted to be better than her, just as I thought she wanted to be better than me.

"I thought you had grown up."

Massie shook her head and grabbed her purse, about to leave.

I wanted to get angry as being called immature was the worst thing you could say to me, but I couldn't manage it. You know those dumb teen movies where there's always a bitchy queen bee? You know that scene where the spunky new kid tells her off and the queen just sits there with a weird look on her face? This was that moment. It was the moment where I couldn't breathe, where I was reflecting on my life.

"Goodbye, Alicia," Massie got up and walked away, towards Liam. I could hear them hurriedly swipping her Visa and them saying goodbye like old friends. I could hear Massie's high heels clack as she left the restaurant, leaving me alone in it.

Finally able to move, I downed my mojito and reached for her Chardonnay. I was almost done when my phone buzzed.

_Tell off the bitch yet?_

_;D Liv_

I reread it four times and tried to think if I had.

_Sort of. itGirl meeting in thirty at my place by the pool. Round up the girls._

_Leesh_

I pressed send and threw the iphone back into my purse and got up to leave.

_**Massie,**_

I was taking off my shoes when I logged onto _Gossip Girl_. No, not like that show I used to love. It was a website started about last year. No one knows who started it, but it quickly got on in city to city until even London had one. This one was like a blog, where a girl spills juicy secrets about Westchester. I had found out about it yesterday, when trying reorder that daily lip-gloss deal I had as a kid.

And I wanted to see what had been posted now.

_Cheers!_

_Looks like our old queen who moved to London four years ago is back. Yes, you heard that right. _Massie Block_ is back. The rumors had been spreading, but it was official today when Massie Block was seen at _Slice of Heaven_, meeting her old friends, the Pretty Committee. Remember them? Looks like that they're all back at the same time, including Kristen Gregory who moved to Florida a few years back after receiving an acceptance to the best soccer training sight in the country. What will this mean for the new Alpha, Alicia Riviera, Massie's old Beta? _

It kept on, but I stopped reading at that point. Instead, I went to my email and responded towards Straberry's message.

_Miss you, too. Mom and Dad are coming back to the Hamptons instead of us coming home once during the summer :( Enjoy the Riviera. Can't wait to see you this fall when you come to NYU! Oh, and about the PC, it didn't really go well. Well, I got along with Kristen and Dylan perfectly, but Claire was distant. And Alicia gave me a speech about who rules this stupid town after everyone had left. I start work tomorrow, and James is in class right now. Enjoy your spa! Oh and wish your Mum goodluck! Her last CD was too great not to win! _

_:) Mass_

I pressed the send button and thought of Alicia.

I had seen much worse things to her in the past. And she had also said worse. But we were _twelve._

Sitting at that table and listening to her made me feel like not a day had gone by, and in the _bad _way. It was like we were still sitting at our table at OCD, trying to prove that one was better than the other. We were still doing the auditions for the cheerleading team we started or fighting over boys. Nothing had changed. We hadn't grown up at all.

And I wasn't here for that.

I didn't know what to do about just that. I wasn't here to gossip and fight with them, but I wasn't sure what I _was _here for.

Finally, after about ten minutes of debating if I should or not, I went back to the gossip site.

_Massie was seen talking to Alicia before storming out of the restaurant. Alicia immediately called a meeting for the itGirls and went home. Could this be the end of her tyranny? I guess Carman Tanner's, a new Briarwood graduate, party will prove which side Alicia is swaying. We just better hope this doesn't distract her from her dancing too much as her audition is soon, and we definitely don't want to get stuck with her._

There was the sign off and a comment box, and I looked at the time this was posted.

Twenty minutes ago.

I had to admit that this person had good information. This all only happened thirty minutes ago, and the mall had basically been dead while most of the residents took off to the Hamptons or some exotic place. They also were able to write this pretty fast, and, from what I could tell, this was the biggest thing to hit Westchester since liposuction.

_**Alright. So reunion is out of the way. Pardon me because I don't really know were I'm going with this. But I'm on it. Don't worry. Anyway, the last Massie part is setting up something for later. **_


	5. It All Starts With a Diss

_**Alright, here is your MassiexJames scene. Enjoy.**_

_**Massie:**_

I snugged up closer to James.

He still smelled like rich shampoo and aftershave, which I strangely loved. His soft Rugby tee shirt was worn, but it was like a favorite blanket of a child. His black curls were still wet from a shower, and his skin was soft from being newly shaven.

He kissed the side of my head and pressed play on Rio.

As a couple, we had never been really romantic. We would say sweet things and kiss on each other, but our favorite dates were ones where we just sat down and watched a movie. There were a lot times we would do this. Sometimes, we would just sit down and put on a movie at his house. When we were sick, the other would always come over and put on a dumb movie to make the other laugh. Then there were the annoying nights where we put on a Pixar movie as an alternative to birth control.

This happened to be one of those nights were we just put it on for no reason.

Well, no, it wasn't for no reason. It was the _Alicia reason._

I hadn't known how to tell him about Alicia, and I had spent hours worrying about it until he got home. When he finally did, it was like word vomit. He fixed us both a cup of tea, and he sat down with me on the couch. I asked how his day was, and he asked me how mine was. And I just couldn't shut up after that.

Then he asked me why Alicia had asked like that.

And I _told_ him.

I told him about everything, and I remembered it all. I told him about OCD and how I had ruled there. I told him about Derrington, Cam, and any other boy I had neglected to tell James about. I told him about hiring fake friends, about the boy fast, about the way Alicia cheated me when I should have won a competition for a new school uniform. Anything and everything I remembered was now in James memory, too.

I had been expecting his usual calm demeanor and helpful words of advisement, but, instead, he just smirked and said that was kind of hot. If it had been up to me, I would have shoved him into a cold shower and locked him in, but James was a whole lot stronger than me.

"My little queen bee tired?" James smirked.

"Shut up, _Jamie_," I continued to stare at the movie.

"Still got that mean streak, I see," James smiled, "Bet I could tickle it out of you."

"No! Don't," I tried, but it was too late. As James started to tickle me, I couldn't stop laughing and trying to hit him, not that I ever succeeded.

"James! Stop," I laughed as he tickled my stomach.

"Say you love me," he smiled and stopped for a second.

"You love me."

He began to tickle me again, and I started laughing like a maniac again. Finally, when he was on top of me and my throat was hurting from laughing so much, he said it again.

"Say you love me."

"I love you, I love you. Now stop!" I smiled, and James eyes sparkled. His grin grew, and, before I could object, he leaned down and kissed me. I ran my fingers through his black curls and continued to kiss him.

_Ring! Ring! Ring-Guh-Ding-Ding! Ring!_

I pulled away, a little breathless, and tried to regain my thoughts.

"That'll be your mom."

"I'll call her back," he reached for his cell phone and turned it off. I stared at him, in disbelief.

"_You_? You always answer the phone, especially when it's your mom, after what happened last semester," I smiled, pulling myself up a little bit.

One day last semester, we were all sitting around the lake, laughing. Robin was making dirty jokes. Wyatt was gabbing about his last date with some hot male model the night before. Quinn was hogging the scotch, and Strawberry was mixing vodka with sunny-dee, something she loved to drink. James had his arm around me and was talking about something with sports. About that time, Quinn fired up _Somebody Told Me_ by the Killers, a personal joke, and we all started laughing. James phone started ringing, but he ignored it. After it rang again, he took out the battery and put it in his pocket. When we all left the lake and went to get some food, James ran into a family friend, who asked how his dad's car wreck had been. His dad almost died, and James didn't even know. After that, he vowed to always answer his phone, and, up until now, he has.

"You already said it. I love you," he smiled, and I simply pulled his lips back onto mine.

At least I have James. Wonderful, wonderful James…

_**Alicia,**_

"_Girls," Josh nodded towards Bay, CeCe, and Olivia, "Alicia, can I talk to you for a second?"_

"_What is it, Josh?" I smiled as I slid on my sheer cover-up. _

"_I just need to talk to you," Josh tried again._

"_Whatever you can tell me, you can tell them," I nodded towards the girls, and Bay blushed. She didn't like it when she got involved with conflict with me and Josh, which seemed to be happening all the time now. _

"_I don't think I can."_

"_Try," I cocked an eyebrow, and Josh narrowed his eyes._

"Fine_, I'm _done_."_

_Bay, Olivia, and CeCe immediately looked between me and him, and I felt my heart pound._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_I have put up with a lot from you, and I don't see why. So, I'm done. I dropped all of your stuff off in a box at the front door, and I don't care if you send me mine. Good day, Alicia Riveria, and goodbye," Josh wheeled around and began to leave the same way he had come, through the dance studio. I looked at all of my friends, especially Olivia, and they motioned for me to go after him. _

_So, I jumped up, slid my feet into the expensive flip flops, and ran after him. _

_He was half-way through the garden when I finally got to him._

"_Josh," I grabbed him by his sleeve and pulled him back to look at me, "You can't do this. Not like _this."

"_I wasn't going to do it like this. I was going to pull you aside and explain why I was leaving and everything, but you…you're not Alicia anymore. I don't even know you, and I don't think I even want to anymore," Josh started to walk back away._

I forced myself out of the memory and shoved the cover-up into the donate bin.

One by one, each of my friends had flaked out.

Yesterday, when I called the meeting, no one could come. Olivia was going into the spa with her new step-mother for 'bonding time' and would have to risk getting cut off if she came. CeCe was spending the day meeting Cam's parents, and Bay was working extra hard at work after some big crisis.

This morning, when I called a meeting at Starbucks, I got similar responses. With Olivia, I bribed her by saying I would give her my new limited edition Jimmy Choos if she would come, and she immediately texted me yes. Bay was untouchable since she was doing as I had asked and was trying to track down gossip girl, who had found me yesterday. And CeCe would be in salsa class until three.

There was something about being rid of that stupid cover-up though.

It felt empowering. Once again, I was playing god, and it was a feeling I had missed.

With a new surge of confidence, I strutted through the mall and into Starbucks. I ordered two skinny lattes (one for me and one for Olivia), and I also resisted the urge to get a sugary cookie. I paid the barista and waited for my two coffees.

"One iced coffee, and one black," a teenage boy told the same barista beside me and paid. I didn't give him much attention, even as he came to wait beside me.

"Nice day, huh?" he smiled.

"I don't date high school boys," I didn't even glance at him.

"And I don't date bitches. I was being _nice_," he shook his head, and I finally looked up at him.

His blonde hair was boyishly messed up, and he seemed to be about 6'1. He had dark brown eyes reminded me of chocolate, and he was dressed like just about every guy in Westchester did. His tee shirt was of some football team, and he had on a pair of dark wash jeans. His Armani watch reminded me of one I gave my dad for his birthday, and he had on a plastic bracelet for breast cancer.

Shit.

_Derrington._

He never outgrew his coolness, and I highly doubted he ever would. He remained captain of the soccer team, and everyone loved him. He was a player, but there wasn't a girl who cared. They still flocked around him like he was Justin Bieber and they were all thirteen. The two of us had never gotten along, though we should. I was dating Josh, and, once we broke up, I didn't want anything to do with the soccer boys.

"Oh crap, if it isn't Alicia Riveria," Derrington smirked, "My congratulations, old friend."

"Why?" I crossed my arms and stared at him.

"Word on the street is that you took a beating from my dear old ex," Derrington smiled, and the barista blushed as she brought the four coffees. I followed Derrington to the condiments as he got crème and I got some Truvia so that it didn't look like I was just following him.

"I should really pay her a visit. Looks like she already got her anger out on you. So, I should be fine," Derrington smirked as he poured the crème into the black coffee.

"Always thinking of yourself, huh?"

"Just like you, My Sweet, only I _accept_ it. You act like it's your humanitarian duty or something," Derrington shook his head as he put the cap back on the coffee cup.

"Don't call me that."

"Alright, Doll Face."

"Or that."

"I'll take that into future reference," Derrington smiled.

"We don't have a _future_, so no need to reference it."

"I'm trying to be nice. We used to be friends, you know."

"_Used_," I pointed out, "as in the _past._"

"Have you ever considered _not_ being a bitch?" Derrington wheeled around to look at me.

"Have you ever considered_ not_ being an ass?"

"Best ya got, _Cheerleader_?" Derrington smirked, and I narrowed my eyes. Instead of saying anything else, he turned back around and wrote something down. He sat it down beside the packets of crème and slid the paper towards me.

"When you have a better comeback, call me."

Derrington smiled that cocky smile of his and walked away. I simply steamed and looked back down at the piece of paper.

"Hey, was that Derrick?" Olivia walked into the Starbucks and picked up a Skinny Latte from where I had set it down.

I slid the piece of paper into my back pocket and shrugged.

"Who knows? Let's go. I need some retail therapy_. Now_."

_**Claire,**_

I slid my hair into a ponytail and looked at myself once again in the reflection on the glass outside of the theater.

My blonde hair was limp and flat. My black button-up had the first two buttons undone to show my pale skin. My jeans fit me perfectly, finally _something_ looked good, and my converse had been doodled all over during midterms this year.

I tried not to think of how great my friends had looked yesterday and how I looked comparatively. Instead, I readjusted my messenger bag on my shoulder and opened the door. The theater had always made me feel a little giddy. It reminded me of how great it had felt to be on stage, not that I had been in years. Just walking through there, it was like I could feel the thunderous applause.

Instead of taking in everything of the lobby, I went ahead into the stage room and scurried down to my seat. There were kids scattered throughout the seats, and they were all so different. There were a few normal looking kids there like me, but most weren't like that. In the front row, I saw a girl with a lime green bob and a hello kitty tee shirt. A girl who looked like she belonged on the runway sat infront of me, and I noticed a boy with such dark black hair it was like watching the nights sky.

I remembered the first time I came here. It had been a cold winter's morning, and there was a matinée. Massie had come into my room early that morning and woken me up. After handing me an outfit that she had bought to find didn't fit her but would fit me, she left to meet me downstairs. Isaac was with family, so she called us a cab while I dressed. We stopped by Starbucks and sat there for hours, talking mostly about boys. Three chai lattes later, Massie yanked me up after she realized that it was almost time for the show. Massie almost broke her ankle three times on her heels, but we somehow made it across the street and saw the Saturday play.

"Well, we've waited for everyone else long enough, so we better start," a tall young woman stood up and smiled at us all, her bright white teeth more white than a wedding dress.

As she sat down, a young man (twenty, maybe?) stood and explained everything. He explained that this was the audition for everyone. Any last minute entries needed to fill out a form, and he held it up. He told us that the stage hands who had already been accepted (yes!) should just sit there, so I did. After a little while, I stopped listening and looked at him, trying to place him.

"Alright, if you have any questions, I'm the director, Logan Lerman. So, just come and ask."

I stared a head, finally realizing who it was. A movie I had seen with my brother, Percy Jackson maybe, had starred him. For most of it, I missed most of the plot and just stared at his wonderful blue eyes. He had also been in Three Musketeers, a movie I had passed up to just hang out with Anna.

I was snapped out of the memory of him shirtless by a teenage boy coming to sit beside me, a late comer.

"If you didn't already, you need to fill out the form down at the bottom," I told him, still sort of staring at Logan.

"Stage hand."

"Oh, me, too," I smiled and looked up at him.

My breathing stopped.

"Alright," the first young woman stood up and dug through a pile of forms, "Miss Vivian Ramaro, you're first."

The girl with the lime green hair stood and went to the stage.

"_Claire_?" his eyebrows knit in confusion.

"_Cam_?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here? I thought you worked at the Music Store."

"My dad _owns_ it. I just go check on it a few times a week," Cam kept going, "I thought you were at photography camp."

"Why'd you think that?"

"I don't know," Cam shrugged, "You went last year."

"No, I _didn't_. I said it looked _fun_."

"Well then."

"I thought you hated plays," I pointed out, not wanting to go into how Cam had been an idiot. _Again._

"I thought you got stage-fright after you got pushed off the stage by your understudy Freshman year."

"I'm not _on_ the stage. I'm _behind _it," I quickly pointed out.

"Well, you can't be here."

"_Why not_?"

"_Because_," Cam spoke like it was obvious.

"Why? Because you _dumped_ me?" I arched my eyebrows.

"_Yes_, I mean _no_," Cam shook his head, "_I mean_, we hate each other. We can't even talk without screaming."

"We're not screaming _now_, Cam."

"_Yet_, remember that soccer game last year?"

I almost blushed, but I quickly substituted it with anger.

"It was a _year ago,_ Cam."

"Listen, I _need_ this. You can't screw this up for me," Cam stared into my eyes, and I didn't feel those butterflies I used to when he looked at me. Instead, I felt hurt. I felt like he had just plunged a knife into my stomach, not just spoken like I was the villain of a Disney movie.

I realized that we had both felt the same way about each other in the break-up. I had seen it that_ he _had ruined everything for me, and he saw it like_ I_ had ruined it all for him, too. Sure, we had our moments of self-blame, but, over-all, it was the same message in the end. When our therapist asked where we thought the root of our problems had started, even if it wasn't true, we would say each other's names. I would claim that not only did I lose my best friend but my boyfriend blamed me and chose her side, leaving me to fend for myself. And he would say something along the lines of my girlfriend made me chose between my best friend and her.

"_Me_? Screw it up?"

He didn't say anything. He just looked into my eyes, and I simply couldn't take it any longer.

"Well, I better get going. Wouldn't want to ruin things for you, Cam."

I stood up and went ten seats over, not ever looking back at him.

_**Dylan,**_

"Please don't let me Nessarose. Not Nessarose. Not Nessarose," I looked for my name on the list. After the auditions, the theater had taken three hours to post who was who and talk to the Stage Hands. I had left, met Josh for lunch, and called my theater friends who were on a spa vacation. They quickly explained that their flight had been delayed but that they would try to get into the play with me when they got home, whenever that would be.

Finally I found my name and traced it to a character.

Dylan Marvil…..Glinda

I gasped and dropped my purse.

I quickly bent down for my purse and brought out my cell phone. I snapped two pictures of the list, not sure if I was actually seeing this or not. Not taking time to write person text for each person, I sent it to my certain lists. Parents, boyfriend, theater friend, and I pressed 'Massie Block' without thinking about it.

By this time, the shock of 'Glinda' shook off, and I stared at the text message I had just sent. _Massie_. Why _Massie_? I had seen her for the first time in years yesterday. While we had gotten along, I didn't know we were already at the 'share your big moments together' stage again.

As a crowd started to form around the list, I scooped up my purse and slid my keyboard open.

_R u guys where there's Skype?_

_-Dyl_

I pressed send to Angela, and it didn't take long before I got a reply.

_Yeah, what's up?_

_-Ang_

I quickly typed back and slid my phone into my front pocket, to answer it when I got home.

_Big news. Need to talk to you guys. ASAP. NEED help._

_-Dyl_

I tried to look calm as I weeded through the crowd around me. It hadnt seemed like there were a lot of people today, but there had also been auditions yesterday for the lower parts, and the results were all being posted today. It took what felt like an eternity to manage away from the crowd, but I did it somehow. I slid out my phone again to see that Josh was calling me. I hesitated on the accept button and kept walking.

Suddenly, I ran full-force into someone.

I dropped my cell phone onto the hard cement, but I managed to hold on to everything else.

"Oh my God! Sorry," a boy with black hair knelt to the ground to pick up my cell phone and a blue notebook that he had dropped.

"Oh, no, it's my fault," I smiled weakly as he stood up to hand me my cell phone.

"Dylan? Dylan Marvil?" he smiled weakly.

"_Cam_?"

"Hey, wow, I haven't seen you since Briarwood's prom. You went with Josh, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember you were there with some blonde, DeDe? I remember being introduced, but we didn't speak much," I intentionally left out how she cornered me in the girl's bathroom.

She and Alicia were friends. Well, Cam's girlfriend was under her command. I didn't know if they were really friends or anything, but I knew this girl would get a real beating if she didn't try to hurt me in some way. Alicia had arrived fashionably late only fifteen minutes before, and Josh and I had left a little while later, agreeing not to inform Cam what a bitch his girlfriend was.

"CeCe. It wasn't just you she didn't talk much, too. Once her friends got there, she barely spent any time with _me_," he smiled like that was funny, but I really felt sorry for the boy.

"Well, what are you doing here? Did you try out?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh, no, I can't act at all. If I even _tried_, I'd quickly be shunned out for being so bad. No, I'm here to be a stage hand. Looks great on college applications, you know. And it gets me out of the house now that my brother is back in town," Cam smiled, and I nodded, remembering the scandal of his brother.

His brother was next in line to become CEO of the Fisher's company. It was successful, though I didn't really know what it is. The eldest, Connor _**(Connor, right?)**_, boarded a flight for Stanford a few years ago under a business major. Then, suddenly, the family got word that Connor had switched his major. Connor's mom quickly bought a flight and went to Stanford to find out what happened. She found her son as a Pre-Med, planning on doing charity in Africa once he was done with school. Connor was basically disowned, and all of the pressure was put onto Cam.

"Connor's back? Wow, it's been years."

"You know about Stanford, huh?"

"_Everyone_ knows, Cam," I smiled apologetically.

"Just like everyone knows Massie's back," Cam shrugged, "How is she?"

"Great, unless you include a girl who used to be her best friend is trying to black-ball her in Westchester society," I purposely made sure he knew Alicia was a total bitch.

"CeCe's been talking about that. I heard that, when Carmen was told by Alicia not to invite Massie to his party, he got a candy-gram with an invitation to her apartment," Cam smiled wide, and I couldn't help but do the same.

It was about that time that I noticed someone over his shoulder.

Her blonde hair was pulled into a limp ponytail, and her blue eyes stared at Cam with hurt. A black-button up shirt hugged her small body, as did a pair of blue jeans. She held on closely to a black clipboard.

_Claire._

"Um, I gotta go. I'll see you at practice tomorrow," I didn't wait for his response. Instead, I hurried over towards Claire, hoping I was fast enough that she couldn't run off before I got there. Claire wheeled around and was heading towards the direction of Logan Lerman, who I had met six months ago and had convinced to spend some time working in Westchester Theater to prepare himself to be a real director.

"Claire!" I smiled wide and acted like one of those housewives who call after people to show being surprised. Claire stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to look at me, smiling weakly.

"Dylan," she tried to fake enthusiasm, but it was a terrible performance.

"Hey. How have you been? You were so quiet yesterday," I smiled the talk-show-host smile my mother had taught me, "What are you doing here? Did you try out?"

"No," Claire shook her head, ignoring my first remark, "Stage fright. I'm a stage hand."

"Oh, that's great. Too bad about the stage fright though. I remember you were a great actress," I nodded, seeing Claire hated every minute of this.

"Are you? An actress, I mean? Did you try out?"

"Yeah, got Glinda. Can't wait. Hopefully I won't have to wear a wig though. I _hate_ wigs."

It was about that time that my cell phone started playing an All Time Low hit, which was Angela's favorite song. I glanced down at the cell phone in my hand to see a photo of a beautiful girl with short blonde hair. _Angela_.

"Well, I better get going. I need to drive my brother somewhere. He doesn't get his license for a while," Claire smiled weakly.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess," I tried, and Claire didn't respond. She just nodded and went back off towards a Camri parked nearby.

I watched her for a moment before pressing accept on the cell phone.

"Hey, what happened?"

_**Massie,**_

I quickly glanced at myself in the mirror as I followed Brianna, the supervisor.

My Mark Jacobs tweed blazer hid my silky black tank top, and my black trousers fit my height perfectly. My heels clacked on the hardwood floors, and my wavy brown hair swung with every step I took. It had taken me about thirty minutes to put this outfit together last night, unlike how it took me hours to pick out what to wear yesterday to see the PC.

James, who had learned his lesson yesterday about making fun of how long it took me to get ready, simply got dressed and left earlier for a class. After opting to stop by Starbucks instead of making my own coffee, I drove to the mall. No one noticed me too much as I came into Saks as they were all staring at Smart Phones, meaning gossip girl had probably already updated early this morning.

"Where is Bay?" Brianna complained as she peaked into the stock room, where purses and dresses lined the walls like a wonderland. She hurried along towards a black door that blended into the surroundings so that you didn't notice, and I struggled to keep up in my heels.

She turned the nob and brought the door open, and I suppressed a gasp. I had expected this room to be a clutter, like the stock room, but it was nothing of the sort. There were two desk, across from each other. Mannequins held clothes that were so wonderful that it felt impossible to resist buying them up immediately. The floors were a dark hardwood, like the store's had been. The walls were a creamy white that had not one smudge. There was a clear erase board with photos of clothes and scribbled handwriting everywhere.

A teenage girl about my age sat at one of the desk. She had a webpage opened to Gossip Girl, and she had a purple notebook beside her with the same terrible handwriting as on the erase board.

Her black hair was long and brought into an artsy bun. Her size six body was complimented by a leather bomber jacket and black shorts. I could see a pair of clunky reading glasses perched on her nose, and I saw no sign of her beauty being artificial.

"Bay," Brianna's voice was stern, like this wasn't the first time she had seen Bay paying more attention to Gossip Girl than work. Bay immediately stood up and closed her webpage in the same instant. She glanced at me for a second before looking at Brianna.

"This is Massie Block. She'll be working with you. I want you to train her. You are the best here, after all," Brianna smiled crisply, like it wasn't a compliment. Bay nodded and smiled gently at me for a moment as if to apologive for Brianna.

"Good luck," Brianna said before disappearing back into the store and closing it behind her.

"I'm Bay Peterson," she smiled that same gentle smile she had smiled earlier, "And you're the girl that everyone's been freaking out about."

"You read gossip girl?" I nodded towards the laptop, and she shook her head.

"Not really. I'm just friends with Alicia sort of."

"_Sort of_?"

"I'm a _Beta_. I _used_ to be her _friend_. But she isn't who she used to be," Bay shrugged, and that was the understatement of the century if not the millennia.

"Oh," I nodded, not wanting to badmouth Alicia. Even though she definitely deserved it, I was already on the hit list. Though I liked Bay, I didn't know her well enough to know if she'd spill to Alicia if I said anything.

"I heard you got into it with her. She's trying to blacklist you everywhere, not that many people are going for it. What'd you do to her anyway?" Bay crossed her arms, curiosity in her bright green eyes.

I wasn't sure what I had done. It could have been anything really. Maybe it was taking Claire's side on arguments between the two or proving that I was the better Alpha. It could have been how I just seemed to forget my friends back in the states like you forget a pair of old shoes in the back of your closet.

But I did know that I had created the worse dictator this town had ever seen. She had taken my practices and changed them to fit her iron rule, and people pretended not to notice. By now, they were so ready to be out of here that they didn't much care anymore.

"I don't know," I finally answered, and Bay shrugged.

"She's scared you know."

I stared at her, not sure if I had heard right.

"Everyone knows someone needs to take her down, especially the alpha herself. And you're just the person who could do it," Bay stared at me with a look I couldn't identify. She shrugged off the awkward moment and motioned towards the erase board.

"Let me show you around."

_**I **_**now**_** know that the name was Griffin, but I said Liam. *Blush* So, Liam is Griffin. We good here? Wonderful!**_

_**Kristen,**_

My IM pinged.

_Dempsey: How'd it go with Massie yesterday?_

I smiled at the message and began to type back.

I hadn't heard much from Dempsey since we stopped for coffee yesterday, and I had worried he was avoiding me. Then he sent me an IM a little while earlier explaining that he had been babysitting his little brothers, Theo and Tom, and they had kept him pretty busy.

_You: Could have gone worse. Alicia was a total bitch, but that was to be expected. Claire was a little off though…_

It didn't take long until I got a response.

_Dempsey: Claire's been like that since Cam broke up with her. It's not you._

I remembered Layne calling me, almost crying, a year ago. She and I had kept up well, mostly by email, but she would call if something important happened, and that day counted. She had called me earlier to tell me about the wonderful news that she had gotten into this great school for her senior year, and we had talked for two hours about it before I had to go to practice. This time she told me all about her fight with Claire, and she had hung up when Cam got there to hang out as they did just about every Thursday (Cam couldn't accept that Layne kept beating him in Black Ops).

I had expected Cam to break-up with her, not that I knew until now.

_You: I didn't know you knew her too well_

_Dempsey: I don't. I know _Cam._ He says he hates her, but I think he still likes her._

_You: I can totally see that happening. That couple was always so dramatic._

_Dempsey: ;D Nice one_

I smiled to myself and thought about my next response, but, as I was writing, I got an alert that he had sent the next message.

_Dempey: Are you going to the party at Camren's? Everyone's talking about it. It's gonna be sick. You should have been there for the last one._

_You: I don't know. I kind of suck at parties. Smother barely let me out after sunset unless it was for a game or something._

With anyone else, I didn't tell about my 'Smother'. I didn't ever bring up what a total loser I had been. I just kept it at the elusive "I don't know" that had become almost like a catch phrase for me. While I hated it when people told it to me, I had no choice but be a hypocrite.

_Dempsey: Liam will be there! _

I paused.

_You: Liam?_

It didn't take long until I got another alert on my IM.

_Dempsey: You got over him, eh?_

I was about to respond that I preferred sporty guys over people like Liam, but my cell phone started vibrating along with the slight hum of a familiar tune. I remembered the end of the season party where my teammates had a song written about my smother, and I had immediately put it as my ringtone.

For a moment, I forgot about Dempsey or my title-wave sized crush on him, which was hard to do.

I stared at my phone, paralyzed. I missed the notification that another IM had been sent, but I didn't care. I didn't even bother to type anything back. I just got up and picked up the cell phone from the dresser.

"Hello?" I swallowed nervously.

I knew what this call would be about. I had been excpecting it since I got the email from Clara, claiming she had just taken an offer to go Pro. And I had always been better than Clara. So, I knew my mom would soon be on the case as to why I had barely even spoken to the people who offered me to go pro.

"Clara's on."

"I know. She told me this morning."

"Listen, if _Clara_ can go pro, you can go pro," my mom made sure to say Clara like it was a curse.

Clara was a sweet girl. She had short atumn red hair. Her eyes were an intense green, and she was tall. Her body was muscular, like mine, but she was still skinny. She was in no way a girly girl, but there was nothing too tom boy about her either. She was just a girl on a soccer team. Born to a soccer coach and the granddaughter of another soccer coach, soccer had always been in Clara's future. She had a graceful form that was fine for soccer but wonderful for ballet, but no one ever brought up the idea of dance to her, though they really should have.

Clara was known for being a klutz 75 percent of the time, but, the other twenty five, she was a great soccer player. Of course, the seventy-five had cost our team a lot over the years, and my mom had always been a bit prejudice about it to her.

"Clara isn't that bad, Mom. She still got into the program, you know."

"But, Kristen, you were _captain_ of this program. What in God's name are you doing in New York? I checked and saw you're not even _checking up_ on your offers, Krissie."

I hated when she called me that.

"I know, Mom."

"No, you don't know, Kristen. This is your future. If you don't step up now, you're going to lose it. I was just like you-"

"I know, I know, Mom. You told me a million times. You had a great future. Then you didn't take it seriously. You missed your chance. I _know," _I was tired of hearing the story.

"Kristen, this is serious."

I paused.

"Have you ever thought of maybe… _not_ having me… go into… sports?"

My mom stopped out of shock.

"What? You love sports. You always have. We've spent _years _working on this. And… now, you don't want it? Kristen, you have no idea how lucky you are," my mom continued, but I stopped listening pretty early into it. It's not like she hadn't told me this a million times.

_**Long chapter, eh? Well, anyway, the next chapter is when some things really start to happen. **_

_**;-D**_


	6. The 'B' in Queen B Is for Bitch

_**Dylan:**_

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Josh raised a questioning eyebrow.

He sat at the light green couch facing the TV, turning his attention to the door of the closet where I stood. As usual, he was wearing a tee shirt, jeans, and black converse. I wasn't even sure if I had ever seen him wear anything different, other than a suit at Prom. His black curls were still in the same mess they always were, and his brown eyes shone brighter than any diamond could.

It was the day of Carmen's party. I had planned on not going. Well, actually I was being forced not to go by Brenda so that I could be at the family party when Ryan got proposed to. But Dean, Ryan's long-time boyfriend and father of her child, who was in LA to tell his family about how he was proposing, got caught in LAX after his flight was canceled.

"We're going, Josh," I didn't take a second glance at him as I went back to my walk-in closet.

"You hate parties."

"Since when?" I challenged him as I continued to look for that silk robe my father had bestowed to me when I last saw him as if it was the crown jewels and I was a new princess.

Josh paused, not sure how to respond.

"_Alicia_ will be there."

I shook my head and came back out of the closet to where I could stand directly in front of him.

"I'm not living in fear of your ex-girlfriend, Josh. Are you?" I crossed my arms, and Josh stared at me. I was lying though. I _was_ scared of Alicia, and I was scared about what she would do to me next.

Sneak into my house and dye my hair? Sell a story to the tabloids about how I had "stolen" her boyfriend? Befriend Massie and send us both to an eternal social Siberia? Take Josh from me?

"I don't want to go," he crossed his arms and pouted like a child.

"I'll go without you then," I shrugged.

"No, I am not having those football guys getting drunk and hitting on you. No thank you."

"They'd need to be drunk to hit on me?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean."

I did know what he meant.

From the moment Briarwood's football team became actually _good_ instead of a total embarrassment, there had been a full-on war between the football players and the soccer players. Nothing was off-limits when it came to bringing the other down. From stealing girlfriends to filling their clothes with itching powder, it was insane. But neither side was anywhere near a compromise, even if it meant the school's sports program became a laughing stock.

But I wasn't going to tell Josh I understood.

I shrugged again and went back to the closet. Josh mumbled something under his breath and turned on _Tosh.O_. I looked through dress after dress until I reached a red minidress. I shrunk back out of surprise.

"_Your closet sucks, Dyl," Alicia smirked as she went through dress after dress. Our summer was nearing at its end, and I had a big gala for my reality TV show, and I planned on bringing the PC, hoping we could have some fun and forget our constant fights. _

_Alicia's long, raven black hair was flowing around her like she was a Greek goddess. Her tan skin was the same warm tan that went perfectly with her icy blue beach dress that she and I had gone shopping for at the beginning of the summer with Massie, when she came down for a big family function._

_I pretended not to take offense to that and smiled at her. We had been fighting a lot, so much so that we all began to worry if it was even worth it anymore. Our friendship, I mean. _

_It wasn't like we weren't trying to make the best of it. We hung out together at school. We met for coffee every Tuesday afternoon and went shopping afterwards. We were driven home from school in Alicia's mom's new BMW. And, at least once a month, we would have sleepovers, and the houses always alternated._

_But it just didn't seem to work._

"_Ohh La La," Alicia smiled wide as she brought out a red mini dress, "Why the hell haven't I seen you in this dress? You'd have to beat boys off with a stick!"_

"_No, I couldn't wear that. I bought it on a _dare, _Leesh," I smiled humbly, and she smiled._

"_Well then, _I'll_ wear it."_

I pushed past the dress, to probably pass it down to a friend or donate it to something. I reached for the sequin mini skirt that I had stress-bought before I met Massie for pizza that day. I hated when I did that, though I seemed to do it all the time. People, especially Brenda, complained about my constant shopping, but it seemed to be the only way to relax me in a short period of time.

"Dylan?"

I looked up towards the closet doorway, and Josh stood there, his arms crossed. I wasn't sure if I was proud or upset that he looked at the racks and racks of clothes instead of how I just standing there in a black lace bra and underwear. He pointed towards a neon pink, when I didn't _ever_ wear pink, ball gown as if it was a question.

"My cousin bought it for me for getting some part in a play. What was your question?" I got on my tippy toes to reach an old pair of red heels that I hadn't worn in two years, if not longer. I didn't even know why I had kept them, but I did know that it was time I finally wore them again.

"Is Massie going tonight?" Josh leaned up against the back wall of the walk-in closet. I paused, biting my bottom lip from not knowing.

It had been two days since I had gone to eat with Massie, but it was still in the 'slow-stages' of our friendship. I hadn't spoken to her much, and I definitely hadn't brought up the party since it was supposed to be this Friday, not today. But Carmen's parents emailed him, saying they'd be coming home earlier than expected from Madrid. So, he quickly rearranged it to Wednesday. Weird day for a party, but I wasn't complaining.

"Why, Josh?" I purposely kept my eyes from wandering to him.

"Just asking. Why so touchy, Dyl?" Josh smirked, and I simply shook my head, ignoring the obvious comebacks.

"I don't know if she's coming, Josh. Probably not though. Her boyfriend won't want to go from what I've heard about him," I shrugged.

"_I_ don't want to go, and I'm _your boyfriend_," Josh crossed his arms like it was an insult that James was getting what he wanted and Josh wasn't. I shrugged as if to say tough luck and picked through the tops hanging up. Josh, who was nowhere close to giving up yet walked over towards me and wrapped his muscled arms around my waist.

"Are you _absolutely_ sure you want to go to the party?" he kissed my neck, "We could stay _here_, you know."

"My sisters have ears like a dog. I'm pretty sure they can hear this conversation right now," I unwrapped his arms from my waste, "_Plus_, that threat hasn't worked on me since…Well, has it ever worked with us?" I glanced back at him.

"Now that I think about it, _no. _No, it hasn't. If anything, the threat works on _me_, not you. But it was worth a try," Josh went back to look at a few photos I had lined up along shelves where I usually put jewelry or shoes. He reached for a picture of me with the PC when we first met, and he almost laughed.

"Wear that," he nodded towards the exact red shirt I was about to pick up when he walked out of the closet, closing the door behind him.

_**Kristen,**_

I cut off the engine of the simple black car that I had chosen to rent at the airport and glanced at all of the cars parked in front of the tutor-style mansion. I was sure that just one of these cars could be used as collateral to pay for my college education, much less them all.

I hadn't spoken to Dempsey since my mother called, other than to explain why I had suddenly stopped talking to him in IM, but that was it. Even if I had wanted to talk to him, which I definitely did, he was babysitting his twin brothers for the day again, as he always seemed to be doing.

Before getting out, I looked at all the cars around me, looking for the silver Prius I knew belonged to Dempsey.

No such luck.

A car pulled in right beside me, the radio so loud that I could hear "Time Bomb" by All Time Low as clearly as if I was playing it in my car. There were two teen boys inside, from what I could tell. I waited for them to get out before I got out.

There was a brunette, definitely three or so years younger than me. His eyes were a dark brown, and his smile was so bright that I wondered if they had been bleached. He was wearing a lacrosse team tee shirt for some camp and jeans, which seemed to be the only thing any of the boys in Westchester seemed to wear.

The other was a little more interesting. He was my age, and his hair was pitch black and newly cut. His eyes were an olive green, and he seemed to be about 6'3, if not taller. His leather bomber jacket matched his olive skin in a way that made you want to swoon. His black skinny jeans fit his tall frame without a problem, as did a black tee shirt under the bomber jacket. He was laughing at something the brunette had said when I got out of the car.

He instantly stopped laughing and looked at me.

"Kristen?"

The brunette was first to speak.

I paused for a moment, trying to remember that voice.

"_Todd_? Todd _Lyons_?" I stopped trying to place the other teen boy to stare at Todd. He had grown, yeah, but I had never expected him to look like this. I had pictured him still mischievous, scrawny, and unappealing. But he _wasn't_ that now.

"I told you she was back," the older boy smugly smiled like this was his ultimate chance to prove that he was indeed always right.

_Griffon._

I wasn't sure how to respond to seeing him. He was someone I could soon see as a friend, a good one at that. But Dempsey had made such a big deal about Griffon being here. I knew that Dempsey was still on the soccer team, even though he was almost never here, and I also knew that Griffon ran in a completely different circle now that he was a writer. So, it's not like it was Dempsey was talking up his friend if Griffon liked me, but I didn't know what it was.

"You look so… so…" Todd trailed off, giving me the once over, "_Good_."

"And you're _surprised_ by that?" I stared at him, waiting for Todd to redeem himself, but it didn't seem like it was going to happen.

"Uh, no…well, um…" Todd seemed flustered as Griffon quickly changed the subject.

"Come on, Kris. Let's get you a welcome-back drink," Griffon smiled wide, and I stared at him for a moment before saying sure.

_**Alicia:**_

"Time for the walk of shame!" CeCe drunkenly pointed towards Olivia, who closed a bedroom door behind her. Only about a minute earlier, a football star from ADD, Ramen Quinn, stepped out the very same door as he zipped up his pants. So CeCe and I decided to play our favorite game, Guess the Skank!

"Holy Crap!" I laughed as I picked up another beer from the table beside me. Olivia smiled as she continued to walk up to us.

Her blonde hair was down, with her curly extensions adding about three inches to the length. Her black mini dress was more sparkly than a display at a jewelry store, and it still looked great even though it was a little twisted now. She had taken out the dangling earrings, and I saw part of one sticking out of her mini purse. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lipstick was a little worn down. But her smile was ear-to-ear.

Definitely Olivia.

"Point!" Olivia grabbed a beer from beside me, "Gawd, where the hell is Bay when you need her? She's supposed to keep score."

It was sort of a game between the two blondes. Bay never participated, and I wanted to keep my body up at full-strength for dance. Though CeCe was currently in a very serious relationship with Cam, she wanted to prove that she was still hot, single or not. So, the two wanted to get the most hook-ups. It used to be a thing of whoever got the first hook-up of the summer got to pick the dare that we all did at the end of the summer. But it had soon morphed into this.

"Well, she's definitely not getting points of her own. I don't think a boy's touched her in months," CeCe giggled, having had too much to drink.

"Explains why she's so moody recently," Olivia finished off her beer and brought out a compact where she reapplied some concealer to get rid of that blush on her cheeks.

"Hey, cheerleader!"

I cringed.

"Is that Derrick?" CeCe squinted, even though it was clear that Derrington was only a few feet away and had decided to close the distance. I quickly reached around for another beer, wishing there was something stronger.

"Oh crap," CeCe tried to quickly turn around and make a run for the door when she saw Cam, who hated seeing her drunk, but he had already seen her. Cam started to speed up beside Derrington, and Kemp Hurley followed the pair, keeping to the 'guy pack' as Olivia often called it.

"CeCe, come on. Let's take you home," Cam grabbed CeCe's wrist, and she proceeded to whine about it. Kemp watched with mild amusement, and Olivia continued to check out Derrington, who stood exactly infront of me.

"Baby, you never called," he smiled.

"Never got a comeback," I crossed my arms.

"Admit it, you like me too much to call," he smiled like he was proud, and I just simply stared at him.

"Right," I smiled wide, "You just missed one little word. Where 'Like' was, put 'Loathe'. But right otherwise," my smile faded to be a frown and I stopped away from him.

Not exactly knowing where to go, I headed towards the front door because the party hadn't been to great. Carmen, whose parties were usually legendary, hadn't done too great on short notice. I was digging through my boho tote to find my keys to the black X5 that my parents had bought me as a graduation present when I ran into someone.

My heart stopped when I looked up.

_Brandon Ramero_.

Everyone in town knew about him. He was a native of Mexico City, and he had lived there until three years ago, when his cheating father was finally caught by his wife. Distraught, Mrs. Ramero quickly changed her name back to Susan Saxby and took her fifteen year old son back to New York, where she had family. It took a year until the divorce went through, and, when it did, she started dating the most eligible bachelor in town, who was absolutely in love with her.

But Brandon had earned his own name, too. Captain of the golf team and all-around best player on the Basketball team of Briarwood, he was known throughout the private schools. As the best golfer in the country club, everyone knew him there. And due to his looks, every girl in ADD daydreamed about him. His eyes were a beautiful blue, like his mothers. His skin was a warm tan, and his hair was jet black. It was like he had been chiseled out of marble without one mistake made.

"Hey, Alicia, right?" Brandon's smile made my heart race.

"And you're Brandon Ramero, the captain of the golf team, MVP of the Basketball team, and, if I heard Cam right when he was pouting, recipient of the full ride to just about any college this side of the Atlantic," I smiled as his smile widened, "And I'm just Alicia Riviera."

"Yeah right. Captain of the cheerleading team. Captain of the BADASS dance team. And, if I heard my complaining classmates right, fantasy of just about every boy in Briarwood," he smirked, his blue eyes twinkling.

"You left out that I have an audition at the end of the summer to get into NYU."

He smiled at me, and I took that as a chance to look into his eyes, like I loved to do. I had never seen such a pure blue before. It was like the deep ocean, serene but yet dangerous. I liked them, I liked them a lot. I had never really liked Josh's eyes. I mean, they were just a feature on him, but they were really a sight to be seen on Brandon.

"What's up with you and D Man over there?" Brandon nodded towards Derrington.

For the last year, I had heard other boys call Derrington that, but I had never asked what it meant. I didn't want to seem like the idiot in the group, and I just acted like it was common knowledge, even though my friends beside me were biting their lips not to ask. CeCe said it was probably because his name is Derrick. Bay suggested that, even though he was a AB student now, he used to be teased by his smart friends for always making Ds. Then Olivia pointed out that he always got hot girls with 'D' chests.

"Nothing really," I shrugged, even though I wanted to go off on a tangent about him, "Derrick's just being a jerk. Nothing new."

"Ah," Brandon nodded, "Well then, you deserve a drink for putting up with it."

I smiled and nodded, realizing how off my game I was with this guy. As I sipped the beer he later handed me, I also noticed that I was getting a little woozy…

_**Claire,**_

The party was in full-swing when I arrived.

Olivia was making out with some random hot guy.

Anna pulled me off in search of some drink.

My brother was hanging out with his girlfriend, Blaire, and chatting with his best friend Griffon and some blonde who was beside him.

And CeCe, Cam's girlfriend, was screaming at Cam.

Everything was like it always had been at these parties.

By the time Anna finally found the beer and handed it to me, I had seen Dempsey both come in through the giant opening doors and mutter something under his breath before spinning around and going back to the nearby house he lived in. I sipped at, feeling awful about having had come.I didn't like parties and doubted I ever would because I became invisible the second I walked in.

Anna was like that, too, but she never noticed. She _never_ noticed anything like that. But things were different when it came to us. We're the same now, but we weren't always. I still remember a time where I had to choose from a variety of parties a night. I was with Massie, and Massie made everything better. I was not only noticed back then, but I was, aside from rest of the PC, the center of attention.

I missed those times…

_A lot._

I looked around the room, silently praying that Massie would be there just waiting to take me under her wing again.

I had been cold to Massie, true. But it wasn't really like that. I wasn't poor like I had been before, but I was nowhere near her kind of rich. I also wasn't like her in any way other than that. Before, I suppose I was. But, like her, I had changed over the years. While she became more perfect, I became less so. And I just kept losing everything I held dear. First acting, after a total bitch pushed me off the stage so she could take my part. If I thought I was down then, I had a lesson to learn. When I lost Layne, I lost everything. Cam, photography, most music, and I couldn't get myself to eat sushi after all the sushi dates I had with Cam.

It wouldn't take long before Massie learned that she needed to drop me, and I couldn't handle that again.

"Holy Crap! Derrick got hotter," Anna moaned as she nodded towards Derrington, who was being unsuccessfully pursued by a blonde PCMS freshmen who probably would have looked better in her uniform than the dress she chose to wear tonight.

For a moment, while I stared at Derrick, seeing that he _had_ gotten cuter, I caught the gaze from his best friend, who was coming to complain from his fight with his girlfriend.

I had missed Cam so much, especially his beautiful eyes. Cam had always told me that my best feature were my baby blue eyes, but they were nowhere near how marvelous his were. Other than his super-sweet personality, it was the absolute best thing about him, and he had a lot of good things going for him.

"Come on, Alicia is drunk! Let's go see her prove just what a selfish bitch she can be!" Anna yelled over the loud Rihanna song, and she grabbed my wrist to pull me to hide nearby Alicia with a few other kids to see what she was doing.

"Alicia, let's get you home," Bay, I think, grabbed Alicia's hand, but she quickly pulled her hand away.

"Am I V?" Alicia drunkenly asked.

"Alicia-"

"Then why would I follow you!" Alicia smiled, and CeCe broke out into laughter beside her. I remembered the pun from when Massie had said it, but it felt different hearing it from Alicia.

"Yeah, _Bay-Lee_," CeCe jabbed a finger at her, "Don't be such a bitch. I know you think a boy won't touch you. But don't blame us because they don't feel the same about us."

Bay stared at her twin sister.

"Yeah, boys definitely chase you. You're running out of space on the bed to put a notch, Sweetie. Just hope little old Cam doesn't find out about that little game," Bay narrowed her eyes, and CeCe gasped, while Cam who had been nearby looked up at CeCe.

"What is she talking about, CeCe?" Cam stomped over, his friends following close behind.

"You're a bitch, Bay!" CeCe seemed to snap out of her drunken haze and jabbed another finger at Bay.

"You think I don't know what you're _really_ doing? To your friends?" Bay stared at her sister with disgust, and CeCe stared right back at her with surprise.

"And_ you_," Bay narrowed her eyes at her Alpha, "Holy Crap! I mean, what _haven't_ you done? Let's see, if another girl hadn't come along first, you had every intention on _having sex_ with the guy you knew your _best friend_ was in love with! And you're moved on completely, but you are making life hell for Dylan and Josh! And-" Bay was cut off by Alicia.

"Go to Hell, Bitch," CeCe spat.

"You have no idea what you've just done," Alicia took three steps forward to be exactly in front of Bay, "I'm going to send you right back to where you were, that ugly little computer geek. If I could do it four years ago, with the Pretty Committee, I can do it now to _you_."

Bay stared at her, and I instantly knew she had a trick up her sleeve, maybe even stronger than the army Alicia had assembled. And it wasn't one of those secrets. Those secrets were nothing compared to what she could really do, and Alicia was about to get it full-force.

"It's on," Bay smiled slyly, like this was a game she knew she'd win, and stomped off, out the door and out to plan her vengeance.

Alicia looked up and saw the group that had huddled around to see what was going on. A lot of people scurried away, scared of her wrath, but I was too shocked to move. Anna, the poor girl, stood by her friend, and Alicia looked at us.

She was the one who blacklisted me? She was the reason I was in social Siberia? It hadn't been me becoming a total loser. She had _made_ me like that. But why? And when?

Alicia hesitated, as if she wanted to say something else, but she decided against it and marched off, leaving CeCe to fend for herself against Cam.

_**Massie:**_

The intercom buzzed, and I groaned before answering it.

I had planned on going to Carmen's party tonight, as it was apparently supposed to be the party that started off the summer and it could have been a place to regain some of my old subjects. James was going to stay home and finally skype his mother, who had been asking him to do so since we left London. But, somehow, I ended up going to get sushi with James, who loved sushi while I just had hibachi steak as I had learned to hate sushi over the years.

By now, it was One AM, and I had to be up early the next morning for coffee with Kristen.

I slid out of the comfortable, one-thousand thread count sheets and decided to go to the intercom in the hall instead of the bedroom so I wouldn't wake up James. I went straight there, closing the door quietly behind me, and pressed the talk button.

"Hello?" I asked tiredly, still sort of asleep.

"Hey, it's Bay. I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait until morning?" I almost begged.

"It's about Alicia."

That woke me up.

I hesitated for a moment before telling her to come on up and pressing the 'Unlock' button. It didn't take long for her to ride to the sixth floor of the spacious apartment building and knock on my door. I quickly opened it and rushed her in.

She looked pretty. Her long, tan legs were shown off in a black mini skirt. Her grey tee shirt seemed like it deserved to be put into a museum of modern art with all of the splatters and stripes across it. Bay seemed about two inches taller in her high heels, making her taller than me. Her long black hair was pulled into a ponytail, which seemed to not go with her outfit, but I guessed she had just put her hair into it.

I could tell she had been crying, but I chose not to bring it up.

"What's up?"

"Uh, can I sit?" Bay nodded towards the dining table, "There's something I want to show you."

I nodded sure and followed her as she sat down at the table. She brought a laptop out of her messenger bag and typed something in. She angled it where I could see it.

There was a blurry video of a party. Alicia was standing with some blonde, both looking completely drunk, in front of Bay. Alicia first told a drunken comeback, one that I had told her before, and it had been lame when I was sober, much less with her drunk. The blonde giggled like a little school girl, and it didn't take long before Alicia freaked out on Bay and declared war.

"Carmen's parents have security video everywhere in the house, and he sent me some clips for Gossip girl," she explained before I could even ask the question.

"_Gossip Girl_?"

"That's the other thing."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You're gossip girl?"

Bay nodded, like she was ashamed.

"I've been planning this, okay?" Bay sighed, "I'm not happy about it. But you've seen Alicia recently. And you know that she wasn't always such a bitchy slut. I came here… to…. to ask…" Bay trialed off.

"You want me to take her down?" I crossed my arms, and Bay nodded guiltily.

"I don't do that anymore, Bay. I'm here to show these girls I've changed," I almost pleaded.

Bay bit her lip and went back to the video. She pressed play again and showed me an enhanced clip.

"_You have no idea what you've just done. I'm going to send you right back to where you were, that ugly little computer geek. If I could do it four years ago, with the Pretty Committee, I can do it now to you."_

Bay limited it again and showed it once more.

"_If I could do it four years ago, with the Pretty Committee."_

I swallowed nervously, and my eyes started to water.

"She's not all that, and you know it. You also know we can bring it back, what she used to be. And you know how, too."

"If you know all that, you know how to do it, Bay. Why do you need me?"

"I'm smart, but I don't have it, that alpha quality you have. And it's not just you I need."

I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I need the PC, all of them. Even the unofficial members, like Layne. We need them. Alicia's not a good alpha, but she's been the only one we've had in years. She has gained power, _lots of power_," Bay quickly explained, and I nodded.

"You didn't see Claire last time I saw her. Good luck getting her in. And Layne? Layne and Claire hate each other. And I heard Layne's gone."

"She got back a few days ago. We're sort of friends. We met at a camp last summer. She's actually the one who started up Gossip Girl, and she's in on this all. That's why she came home so early," Bay explained quickly, and I shook my head.

"You're forgetting Claire!" I whisper-yelled.

"You were her best friend, almost you're sister. You can do this, Massie."

I paused.

"Why do you want to do this? You know why _I_ want to. But what about you, Bay? What's in it for you?" I asked, and Bay paused.

"Forgive me for what I say, but you were a bitch when you were an alpha. But that's what an alpha is _supposed _to be. But Alicia was a different kind of bitch. You did what you needed to do for friends, and you were nice under that alpha. There is no second layer with Alicia. You saw that video. She did all those things. _A lot_. And there have been worse things."

I stared at her, wanting to be angry but I couldn't manage it. She was right, at least as far as I knew. Even at KISS, I had to share my alpha status with a young blonde who knew the bitch rule because I didn't want to be the bitch anymore. But Alicia had learned from the outside. If anything, I wish I had left my kingdom to Claire. She knew the inside of being the alpha, the heart to it. But I didn't think this would ever happen.

"This would be easier if you were on the inside," I complained, going straight into war general mode.

"So you're in?"

"I'm in."


	7. Winning This Is About Her Losing

_**Please don't try to use the emails in here. They were just made up, and I don't know if there is actually someone who has them.**_

_**Kristen:**_

I choked on my Chai Latte.

"_What?"_

Massie stayed completely calm. She was wearing normal clothes, even though her demeanor was purely professional. Her brown hair was tumbling around her shoulders, and she looked tired, which is why she had bought an extra-large coffee I guess. Her hot-pink button up was flattering and a style I knew had to have been British because I had never seen it here before. Massie's long legs were shown off in dark wash jean shorts, and I noticed when I walked in that her toes were newly painted into a perfect French manicure.

Massie set down her coffee, which she had been sipping at, and looked me directly in my eyes.

"You heard me."

"I don't think I did," I shook my head, "Or at least I _hope_ I didn't."

Massie just stared.

"I thought you said you wanted me to help you take down _Alicia."_

Massie looked down to her lap and nodded solemnly.

"Have you lost your effin' mind?" I whisper-hissed.

Massie looked up, and her amber eyes met mine. She stumbled with her words for a moment before finally saying something.

"I can assure you, I hate this just as much as you do, if not _more-"_

"Then why are you doing it? Have you met Alicia recently? If you were controlling, she's freakin' _Hitler_!" I whisper-yelled.

"I know, I know. This wasn't my plan. I didn't even start this fight, I promise. She's had people out for her for years, but they can't complete the feat. They need us."

"But why do we need them? You said it yourself. You're leaving Westchester for college, and then you're going to be spending your summers back in Europe. Why do you need this? Why do you _want _this?" I stared at her, wishing I could talk her out of this all.

I had hoped to leave this all behind, like a passing fad or an old dress that was so out it was almost pathetic. Though I had often led them, I hated those social wars. The winners win, at least for a while. And the losers lose it all. The winner takes everything, and being the winner wasn't that much of a satisfaction really. It isn't about winning, it's about the other team losing.

"Because of you!"

Everyone in the coffee shop turned their attention to Massie, and she scooted closer to whisper the rest of our conversation.

"What happened after the PC broke up? What happened to you? What happened to your social life?"

My words faltered.

"I wasn't here long, Mass."

"But you _were_ here for a while."

I paused.

"Alright, it sucked. I was left alone."

"Did you ever wonder why?" Massie seemed like she was going to cry, and I stared at her, feelings sick.

"Are you saying…."

"My co-worker came over last night. She was upset and she showed me a video that Carmen at his party. A video where Alicia said she's destroy Bay, exactly like she destroyed the _PC_," Massie set a hand on mine, and I stared at her.

"You know she isn't like this really. You know she's sweet underneath. She just needs to get rid of that bitchy skin," Massie smiled weakly, and I found myself chuckling, "And we're the ones to do it."

I paused, catching my breath.

"And you have a plan for all this?"

Massie smiled, knowing I was on board.

"No, I don't, but I do know someone who does. Two people actually, and Layne is one of them."

I nodded, and I started to wonder if I'd look back and regret this.

"There's one little problem though," Massie scooted back and let go of my hand, "We're not the only ones who are needed for this."

"Who is needed then?"

She paused.

"We need Claire and Dylan, and I need you to talk to Claire."

"What?"

"She won't talk to me, I've tried. She hates me for leaving her like I did, and I'm not sure I even blame her. There's a better chance she'd talk to you than me."

"Massie, this is your plan, it won't seem right coming from me. And Claire was so close to you, but she wasn't close to me. You should do it," Massie was sharing her head when I finished off my statement, "It's my condition. You have to tell her, not me."

Massie looked up at me, and I knew she was going to take that threat, even if she didn't feel too good about it.

_**Alicia:**_

My eyes fluttered open, and I first felt the soreness of my body. Then the awful headache. And then, I cringed when the light first hit me. I shut my eyes tightly, to avoid that awful sun again.

I couldn't go back to sleep, so I tried to work through the hazy fog of the night.

….Bay…. I told off Bay….

Holy Crap! I told of Bay! Now I'm screwed, she's my key to knowing about Gossip Girl. She's my computer girl, the one who even hacked into our school mainframe if it was needed. She was also the only sober one enough to keep score on things. And she was also the one in my group who was pretty enough to be seen with but not hot enough to take guy's attention from me.

I needed to three-way-call CeCe and Olivia. And, if I couldn't get Bay back, I needed to get started on finding a new replacement.

Maybe Jessica Williams. Hot, rich, and her mom owns the best spa in town. Plus she's dating Andrew Perry, who is friends with Brandon, and that meant I could get close to Brandon.

I opened my eyes to get to work.

I gasped, and he just smiled.

"Morning."

I stared at him, knowing exactly who he was.

"Brandon?" I said it like a question, but it wasn't. This was Brandon Ramero, no question. No one in the entire state had blue eyes like those.

"Hi."

"Hi," I laughed a little, without meaning to.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" Brandon seemed to laugh a little bit while he said it.

"Not a clue," I shook my head, and he nodded, like he knew it would happen.

"I only remember a little."

"How much?"

"I think you and your friend had a fight, and she left. And you were freaking out, and we got another drink. And then I think I kisses you, or you kissed me," he knit his eyebrows as he tried to remember the rest.

I wanted to think that he kissed me and that I wasn't too easy. But I knew how I was when I was drunk. And I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the rest of what he had to say.

He trailed off, thank God!, but the air was filled by a silence. It was one of those silences you get when you announce to your father, who presumed you'd become a lawyer, that you plan on dancing. This is an unbearable silence, the kind that made me sick.

I didn't want this silence, especially not now.

"So, this is it, huh?" he asked finally, and I was sure I saw disappointment.

I paused for a long while.

"If you want it to be…"

Brandon's eyes met mine.

"Do you?"

I blushed for the first time in a long time.

"Well, no, not really…" I smiled sympathetically, like I knew it was dorky.

Before I could say anything else, like questioning if he wanted this to be it, he kissed me.

_**XXXXXX**_

I was smiling as I pulled into my driveway.

Brandon had driven me to Carmen's house, where many owners were just now coming back for their cars, so I wasn't noticed too much. He kissed me goodbye, and I was lucky enough to have some old dance clothes in my car. First, I went to Starbucks and ordered a coffee, and, while she got the coffee, I changed in the bathroom and stuffed my old clothes in my dance bag. After that, I drove home to say I had woken up early and gone to the dance studio.

I pulled into my rightful spot in the circular driveway, which was mainly to show off my car to the neighbors and got out of the car. I happily noted that the neighbor boy, who was a hot sixteen year old who Olivia had hooked-up with, stared at me like I was hot, which I was.

I never had the walk of shame, only Bay did in our group. She was known for sneaking out of the boy's house and using her parent's divorce as a mean to not let her parents know where she really was the night before, not that her mom would have given a damn if she knew.

I quickly reminded myself that Bay wasn't in our group and hurried up the stairs and through the grand door.

"Alicia, is that you?" my mother called out.

"Yes, Mom!" I yelled as I closed the door behind me. I could hear my mom's heels clacking on the hardwood floors as a warning that she was coming to talk to me.

"You got in late last night," she smiled lightly, "Your father was so worried that I couldn't get him to go to sleep until midnight."

"Sorry, too much fun, I guess," I shrugged.

"Oh, you went to the studio, too. You need to keep doing that if you want to get into that school, you know. Heather's daughter went up for that last year, too. And she was too sure of herself. She didn't practice enough, and she lost. Now, she's living with her parents and going after an MRS. Degree. Do you want that?" my mother rambled on in the Westchester Wife game.

First, the women competed with each other. Then, they got older, and they all were done with getting their rich husbands. So, us kids became a new mean of winning.

Monica's kid got A-B honor-roll. Well, Angela's kid got all A's. Then, Wendy's son got dumped up the next grade level.

That was how it went, and Mom was used to winning.

"No, Mom."

"Oh and the adoption agency is coming to see us next week," she added while she walked back to the living room where she had been before.

My parents weren't taking me leaving well, especially my dad. My father's business partner just adopted an African toddler son named Sebastian, and it gave my parents an idea, an idea to adopt a little Chinese girl.

I rolled my eyes at my mom and went up the stairs two at a time. I went straight to my room without so much as a thought about it. Once the door was open, I dropped the duffle and went straight to my closet. I quickly changed into an orange cotton dress that felt great on my skin, especially after the sweaty dance clothes.

I was tying my hair up in a ponytail when I sat down at my desk and pressed Olivia's speedial, and it took all of three seconds until she answered.

"Alicia-"

"You'll never believe what happened-"

"Have you seen Gossip Girl?" she cut me off, sounding worried.

"What? No, why?"

"You're gonna want to see this."

I turned my Mac off sleep-mode and opened Safari. I went to my bookmark for Gossip Girl and pressed the new article.

_Good morning, Westchester. As you know, I don't usually update this early, but this isn't a normal day. Carmen Whitmore is cleaning up from his bash the night before, and people are still coming over to pick up their cars or even people! Party-wise, last night was an eight, but, gossip wise, it was a twelve out of ten._

I skimmed through things for Derrington and people like that until I reached my group.

_And looks like all those notches are coming back to haunt CeCe. Is this splitsville for the iconic couple? And, while CeCe was paying for all those hook-ups, Olivia scored one with a certain taken football player. Just hope his girlfriend doesn't find out!_

"Wait, Liv, he was still dating Jamie?"

"Keep reading!"

_And, finally, we have Alicia Riviera. Nobody can doubt her bitchiness, but Alicia showed it off last night in a confrontation of newly ex-member of her clique, Bay. I'm guessing you've seen the video on youtube-_

"There's a video on youtube!"

"That's not the worst part," Olivia told me solemnly.

_-but, if you haven't, I'll clue you in. Bay tried to get Alicia to go home after having too much to drink, but Alicia didn't take that well, nor did Bay's twin sis CeCe. After being called a bitch and being told she could never get a guy, Bay exploded. Bay decided to expose their secrets, like a game with CeCe. How she was betraying her friends somehow, however that may be. And then it was the alpha's time to be taken down a notch. Bay exposed Alicia having almost had sex with her best friend's crush, and she was mid-sentence about how she was making life hell for her ex and his new girlfriend when Bay cut in to call her a bitch again. Alicia then took matters into her own hands._

_Long-story short, war has been declared. You heard that right, a full on war is on, and the winner takes all, or at least us at least. And the opposition to Alicia has a secret weapon, a secret weapon the alpha can't beat…_

"What does that last part mean, Leesh?" Olivia asked like the scared little beta she was when Massie was our queen.

I knew exactly what that line meant, I knew who I was up against, and it made it hard for me to breathe.

"Get over here and bring CeCe. And get me a list of the best new betas we can get. Bay's going down, that bitch."

I didn't sound as confident on the last part, because, for the first time, I worried I might just lose.

_**Dylan:**_

I read through the Gossip Girl post again and again, and I still got the same conclusion.

_Massie._

No one else could take Alicia like Massie could. And Massie's back from across 'the pond'.

I was happy that Alicia was going down, but I wasn't sure why Massie was doing this. She's grown up, and it doesn't seem like she came here to declare war on the current Alpha. And I also don't think she wants to grind her into oblivion, she wants the old Alicia we used to be friends with back.

I was trying to piece together the puzzle when I got a text message.

_Angela:_

_Miss you like crazy! Bad news though. My mom's got a big thing, and we've got to go to LA. Super sorry, don't think we'll be in the play D:_

"I knew it," I mumbled and through my phone onto my bed.

Next my computer beeped with an email, and I groaned, thinking it was Angela sending another apology letter.

_From: Massiecre _

_To: Dyl-Me-In _

_Dylan, I need your help….with Alicia._

I stared at the computer, unable to breathe.

_To: Massiecre _

_From: Dyl-Me-In _

_What?_

I wasn't sure if I should be honored or pissed that she wanted me to join. I mean, if I was already hated by Alicia now, she'd be calling a freakin' hit man after this. But, then again, she could have anyone help her, and she wanted me.

It nice to be wanted again…

_From: Massiecre _

_To: Dyl-Me-In _

_I'm guessing you heard about the party last night and saw the video-_

Didn't need to know she was bitch.

_And some people want her out of her Alpha status, and I know you do, too. And I need my PC back for this._

I smiled without meaning to. Until now, I had no idea just how much I missed being needed, being the redhead of th group that could never be replaced. I always seemed to be replaceable.

I'm leaving for college, and the show is going to focus on my new step-siblings who are fifteen and Ryan's new baby. The PC broke up, and it took less than a week for Alicia assembled Bay, CeCe, and Olivia. And Massie had gone on to London and grabbed a group of diverse British friends that beat the hell out of my LA friends.

_From: Dyl-Me-In _

_To: Massiecre _

_How? This is Alicia we're talking about. And I'm already number one on her hit list, or second to you maybe. What do you plan on doing? The only way to get rid of this witch would be to throw a damn bucket of water in her face and watch her melt._

_To: Dyl-Me-In _

_From: Massiecre _

_I'll put that one in the vault. But my real plan is under wraps. You join, you know… You in?_

I paused, feeling a little sick. My curiosity was burning at me, wanting to know if she had a secret over Alicia. Or if maybe she just knew how to be the perfect Alpha, which I knew. Or maybe…

That was all I could think of. But I needed to be thinking of the downside of all this.

_To: Dyl-Me-In _

_From: Massiecre _

_How about this? You think about it for the rest of the day, and, if you chose to join, come to Notes for Life, that music store at the edge of town at six. You don't come, I'll know you're not helping.._

I typed back that I would think about it and she'd know at six. And I quickly closed my laptop, so I wouldn't do anything dumb. I sighed heavily and looked back at my cell phone.

I got up and reached to go get it, hoping to get guidance from somebody. Anybody really. Without realizing it, I pressed typed in my mother's number and she picked up immiedately.

"Dyl?"

I paused, not sure why I had called her. I had come to her for problems, but not things like this. These dilemmas are left to Josh and friends, not my mom. Mom problems would be when I was having trouble with my sisters or her new marriage, or my new sister through my mom's new marriage.

"Uh, Mom."

"Hey, Sweetheart. What's up?"

"Well, I kind of have this thing that I wanted to talk to you about-"

"Oh my God, are you pregnant? Because I cannot take _two_ of my daughters getting pregnant out of wedlock."

"No, Mom. I'm not pregnant, it's about Massie. You remember Massie, right?"

_**Claire:**_

"Claire, come down stairs! There's someone to see you!"

That'll be Anna.

I closed my laptop so my brother couldn't see what I was looking at if he peeped in. No, it's not anything dirty or stuff like that. A month ago, Tara took me along for her college roadtrip, and our last stop was an elite school in upper New York. I loved everything about that school. I didn't tell anyone because I had always says I didn't want to have to be with a bunch of socalites that were just there for their MRS. But it felt so great to be there. The art department was simply amazing, and they have great programs, like business and PR and even teaching. I had sent in an application mainly as a joke, and I was starting to really want it now.

I slipped into a cardigan to cover the Tinkerbelle tee shirt I had sworn to Anna that I had burned and went down the stairs two at a time.

Today, I didn't need to show up to work because most of the kids in the play would be suffering from a hangover. Usually, I hated having to spend the day with my family, realizing what a total loser I was, but I didn't mind today. Sure, tomorrow, I would basically be begging to get away from here, but I was fine for now.

I first saw my mom, smiling wide. Then I saw what made my heart stop.

"Holy Crap!"

Massie Block stood beside my mom, smiling too. Her Chesnutt brown curls cascaded down her back. I noticed that one of her long necklaces had the initials J.W. and M.B. ingraved into it, making me guess her boyfriend had given it to her. Her amber eyes were nervous but trying to look like this was completely normal. The hot pink button-up she was wearing fit her body perfectly, but all of her clothes seemed to do that. Massie's long legs were shown off in a pair of jean shorts, and she carried a black messenger bag with Massie's name engraved into the leather.

"Claire," my mom hissed.

"Oh, Mrs. Lyons, it's fine," Massie quickly reassured my mom, "I mean, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. If this was reversed, I probably would have said the same."

"Alright, I'll leave you girls to talk, but one thing, Massie."

Massie politely looked at her to continue, but I knew she wanted to get to her reason of being here.

"How's the apartment? Your mom and I have been talking, and I've been wondering how you like it," mom finally got to the part of why she asked, "I hear your boyfriend is also there."

"Yeah, James is there. He's taking some pre-college classes here in town," Massie smiled, even though she knew where this was going.

"Well, Massie, this is going to seem a little old fashioned, but-"

"Yeah, it is two bedrooms, Mrs. Lyons."

My mom seemed to relax after hearing that, and she bid her farewells before walking out the front door to go grocery shopping, leaving me completely alone with Massie. I almost wished that Todd was here.

He would have made this somewhat easier. At least they'd start talking, and it wouldn't be that unbearable silence that seemed to take over the room.

"It's not really a two bedroom, is it?" I finally asked.

"It is, but I didn't say we slept in different bedrooms."

I laughed at that, without meaning to, and that made Massie smile, too.

"Mom should have thought about that."

"Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't. I remember how protective your parents used to be."

_Used to_…. I didn't like how those words sounded off her lips.

"Still are. But Mom's spending most of their time watching my brother, so I'm in the clear for a while."

Massie smiled a little bit, and I ran out of things to say. I ran out of witty comebacks and even lame openers. I was stuck there, in a pair of green pajamas and a grey cardigan when she looked like a model.

"Do you want to sit?" I motioned towards the living room to the side, and she smiled gratefully, like she was also running out of things to say. I led her there and sat on the couch while she sat beside me.

It felt so weird to be close to her again. A few years ago, we this couch would have been too big for us and we would have started gossiping and laughing immediately. But, now it was too small, and the silence filled the air again.

"I always loved this place," Massie smiled like she was remembering something as she looked around the room.

"It's nothing compared to the mansion, or the castle," I tried, feeling embarrassed again.

"No," Massie shook her head, "I mean, I loved those places, but this is a home. They were just houses really. I used to get lost in the castle, looking for my parents."

I suddenly started to wonder if this was the old Massie I knew, the one that I was now scared of because I knew she would ditch me after realizing we had nothing in common. My Massie would have _never_ worn pink, and gladiator sandals would have been thrown out the window of her car after buying them. My Massie wouldn't have had us meet at a pizza place but at five star restaurant and toasted her arrival back home with Champaign. My Massie would be living in a beautiful rented mansion with James while she was staying here.

But this didn't seem to be that Massie. Actually, she seemed to be the Massie that was hiding underneath, the one I had become best friends with all those years ago.

"Um, Claire-" And here's the reason she came, "There's kind of a reason I came to see you."

I stared at her to continue.

"Uh, well, you know Alicia and you know how she is recently…" Massie began to stutter, and I think she may have started to shake, too. So, I decided to put her out of her misery.

"You mean the Gossip Girl thing. You're the secret weapon," it was supposed to be a question, but it wasn't.

"No, not really. I'm_ part_ of the secret weapon, really just the face of it," Massie shook her head, trying to word this right.

That was when it hit me, why she was here. Why she was so nervous. Everything. She was like the face of a politician's campaign, but dozens of people were running it behind. And I was about to become one of those dozen of people. She wanted me behind the scenes, just as I had been before.

It a daydream that had kept me from making an A in Social Studies, something my parents were still pissed about. This day dream had made me draw in notebooks absent-mindedly and had made Cam wonder what I was thinking about so deeply, making him think I was daydreaming about a boy and made us have many fights towards the end. This was the day dream I had secretly never given up on, and here it was at last, almost begging for me to take it.

"You're getting the PC back together, aren't you?" I asked, feeling my knees go a little weak at the thought.

"Well, actually, yeah. That's what I wanted to do before, but I really have to now," Massie told me, and I wasn't sure if I liked how she said 'Have to'.

"Why? What difference would it make if the PC was back and against Alicia?" I crossed my arms, not sure if I should still be cold or not.

I really didn't want to. I wanted to hug this 'new' Massie and apologize, but I just couldn't.

"Well, no one knows how to bring someone down like we do. And I need our of our ideas to bring down Alicia," Massie answered, and she paused for a long moment, "And I really missed you guys."

I stared at her with surprise.

"I missed you, too," I finally answered, my voice small. She smiled wide at me, and I knew this whole war I had declared on her was over.

"Are you in?"

"Yeah," I smiled.

"Great," she pulled me into a hug, and I was completely shocked.

"Oh crap!"

"What?" I quickly asked, and Massie let me go.

"I forgot to tell you who the other people were," Massie hit her head with her palm.

"Who are the other people?"

"Well, my friend, Bay started this, and, umm….well, _Layne_ is helping."

_**Massie,**_

I sat at one of the comfortable chairs in _Notes for Life_, ignoring how a petite young brunette kept staring at me from behind the counter. Cam owned this place, I heard, and that had made Clare hesitant about coming. But I convinced her somehow.

Claire nervously toyed with her Droid cell phone, a present I had bought her because I needed to be able to get in touch with her at any time, and Layne kept looking at her from the chair across. They hadn't spoken since we had first gotten here, and I started to worry they'd never talk. Kristen and Bay had become fast friends after talking about a boy named Griffon, who I guess was a mutual friend.

But we all sat in silence as we watched the clock. It was almost six, and no one spoke in fear that they might speak their fear that Dylan wasn't coming. I didn't know what we would do without Dylan. For one thing, it wouldn't be as intimidating for Alicia. And she had always been one of the best plotters I had ever met, and don't even get me started on the comic relief she provided.

Out of nervousness, I scanned over the list of Gossip Girl informants, seeing if I knew anyone. It was a list of fifteen people. I only recognized names, like Carmen who had thrown the party or Briarwood Sports boys. The PMS crowd was lost on me, and anyone I knew from ADD had already graduated.

It was at that moment that the sound of Bay's cell phone went off, telling me it was then six.

I felt hollow as I sat there, realizing my best friend wasn't coming.

"I guess that's it," Bay turned off the alarm and pushed the phone back into her purse.

"Crap," Layne mumbled as she slumped in her chair.

"I was sure she'd come," Kristen pouted as she put down a CD she had been looking at.

"You should buy that, Kris. It's pretty good," Layne nodded towards the CD.

"Well, what do we do know? Without Dylan?" Claire asked, finally speaking up for the first time since we had gotten here fifteen minutes ago.

"Well, we can still do it. I mean, three of out five is better than what we had before, which is none," Bay continued to talk, and the others chimed in. But I just checked my phone, hoping she would call or text that she was just late.

"Welcome to Notes for Life," the petite saleswoman smiled about the door chime went off.

And there she stood, her red curls tied up in a ponytail and nervously looking at the five of us.

"Got lost, sorry."

I jumped out of my seat and hugged the redhead.

"And that makes four!"


	8. All Is Fair in Love and War Even Derrick

_**Dylan:**_

Layne pulled the car to a stop in front of a Mini-Mansion in the pront of a Mini-Mansion in the -olitician side of town.

Westchester was most definitely separated into mini cities, four actually. The first was the city, with the shops and such. The second was nearby that part where the normal people lived and went to ADHD. The third was where I lived, at the edge of town where the rich could have large estates. And then there was this side, in between the city and estate side.

We called it that because of Politicians from NYC coming to buy big houses down here. Though large and earned their own privacy, the houses were close together so that if they needed to have a quick conference they could just go next door. The houses also seemed separated from the people who looked at them, kind of like politicians.

This house had the same separated feel to it, other than being a little homier but that wasn't hard. It was beautiful though. It had the front columns that reminded me of a plantation house. The little garden was too perfect to have been taken care of by the owners, and, even in the dark night, I could tell the house's creamy white color would have been almost blinding in the daylight.

"This is it," Layne cut off the engine of the Hybrid and started to open the door.

After I had dramatically rejoined the PC, or whatever we planned on calling it, we had stayed at _Notes for_ _Life_ for hours until the petite storekeeper had to kick us out. Once that happened, we agreed to carpool over to Bay's house. Since only two actually knew how to get there, we were separated. Bay took most everyone in her large Range Rover, and I got paired with Layne in the tiny hybrid.

I knew they had purposely done that. Everyone had gotten along with her years ago, except for me. Well, Claire didn't get along with her _now_, but that could be handled later.

I followed Layne out of the car and towards the front door, where Bay was trying to find her keys in the BoHo tote she always seemed to be carrying.

"We aren't going to have to see CeCe, right?" I asked Bay, not meaning to sound so scared. CeCe scared me, maybe even more than Alicia. I knew what Alicia was capable of, but I didn't know what to expect from CeCe. She seemed to be able to do just about anything, and CeCe didn't have the same boundaries as Alicia did.

"Nah, she's staying with our mom. She hates coming here," Bay answered as she jammed a key into the lock, and I sighed with relief.

"Who's CeCe?" Kristen asked while Bay forced the heavy door open.

"My twin. She's Alicia's Beta, too. Biggest slut since Jaylee Robbs was sent to reform school," Bay smirked, forgetting that Kristen hadn't heard of Jaylee, "I have no clue how she's held onto Cam for so long."

I noticed Claire pale out of the corner of my eye, and I felt sympathy for Claire. While I didn't like Cam too much (too sensitive to last a moment with me), he was good for Claire. And she was perfect for him. I didn't know why they had broken up, nor did I know anyone who did. Actually, I didn't even know when they broke up. I just remembered going to a soccer game a year ago and hearing Claire and Cam scream at each other under the bleachers.

I was at the back of the group when we came in, with just Claire behind me. Bay went to a white door in the hall and took out another key from her keychain.

The house was beautiful. To my left, there was a perfectly carved doorway to a living room that was formal but had been lived-in. The floors were a beautiful hardwood, with some scuffs in front of the door from heels, probably CeCe. Though not too large that it took up too much space, there was a curved stairway on both sides of the landing. I noticed a kitchen that would have made even the best cooks swoon through another doorway next to a grand dining room.

"The lock's new," Layne crossed her arms as she nodded towards the door Bay was in front of it.

"CeCe got in here last month, almost figured out about Gossip Girl," Bay shrugged, "Dad helped me because he thought CeCe was trying to steal some of my stuff or trying to get my fired again."

"She tried to get you _fired?_" Massie laughed, as if the thought of was a joke. Bay smiled at that she finally got the door open, happy to know her friend had such trust in her for work, and I suppressed a gasp.

"Welcome to the study," Bay smiled, and we all walked in.

The study was amazing.

The walls were aquamarine, a color I had given up on a long time ago, but she had made it look perfect. There was a built-in bookcase that made up the left wall, lined with books, DVDS, binders, and little trinkets. A few black chairs were set to be reading area for the bookcase, and the table in between the chairs was covered in magazines and notebook paper. The TV at the far end of the room was set on the main menu for Mean Girls with Mute on so the music couldn't be heard. There was a blanket on the couch that looked so soft that I wanted to pick it up immediately, but I managed not to by looking at the rest of the room.

The computer center deserved its own paragraph. The desk was built into the right corner, right before you reached the spiral staircase to what I think was Bay's room. This seemed to be the only place that was perfectly kept, which I guess made sense. There were two chairs for the desk, meaning she had planned on another person working with her when she designed the room. Bay's laptop was already plugged in front of one of the chairs with the 'Ribbon Screen Saver' playing while it was in sleep-mode. There were all sorts of devices that I had no clue what did, nor would I probably understand if Bay tried to explain.

Then there was this table in the center, something like I had seen in board rooms while working on my contract for the reality TV show. There was enough room for eight chairs, but only six where there.

"It was a birthday present, the room I mean. My mom had already bought a car without even talking to my dad, so he decided that he was going to beat my mom at her own game," Bay smiled as she closed the door behind us.

"This place is awesome, does CeCe have one?" Massie asked as she continued to take it all in.

"No, not here. She didn't want one, she said she'd rather Dad give her another Amex than make her a room, too. But at Mom's place, she has a closet that's bigger than this place. And she _still _complains about having nothing to wear," Bay shook her head as she set her Boho tote down in front of her laptop.

"What's up with the table?" I nodded toward it.

"I used to use it for itGirl meetings while Alicia was working on her house. But that stopped as soon as Alicia was satisfied that her house was more expensive," Bay shrugged as she picked up a blue landline.

"Pizza, anyone?"

I nodded as I took out my cell phone and fired off a text to Ryan, who I knew would be the only one home, that I'd be late tonight.

_**XXXXXX**_

"So, who is Alicia really?" Massie asked as I finished off the last slice of pizza. The last hour had been spent paying half of our attention to Mean Girls and the other half to the plan, or to the idea of _making_ a plan.

"A bitch."

"We _already_ know that," Massie was quick to reprimand Layne.

"Just saying," Layne shrugged as she went back to weeding through her Gossip Girl emails from the informants.

"You can never tell who Alicia really is," Bay shrugged.

"Well, then, what ticks her off?" Kristen suggested as she got up from the Board Table to throw away the pizza box.

It had taken Massie five minutes to name this the Board Table, and it took even less time to have our seats that we'd probably keep for the rest of our lives. Massie was at the left end, with Bay to her left and Claire to her right. Kristen sat next to Claire and Layne, who had the other end seat, and I took the last seat in between Bay and Layne.

"Well," Bay began, "She absolutely will not tolerate bad Betas. You're on her side or you're on no one's side. If you screw her, you'll never have a life in this town again. And she can't stand when a boy cheats on her. He can cheat _with her_ but never the other way around."

"But she's single. We can't use that," Claire complained,

"Actually, we can," Layne smiled, and we all turned our attention to her, "Brandon Ramero and Alicia are official. It was thought to be a hook-up when Brandon bragged to a friend about hooking up with her, but they've got a relationship now."

"Brandon Ramero?" I almost laughed, though I don't know why, "He hasn't had a girlfriend since he moved her three years ago. And _she_ got him? The inventor of commitment phobia?"

"Yeah, I heard about the no-girlfriend thing. He said it was because he liked Mexican girls better, the ones he had grown up with back in Mexico City. But I think he just liked the hook-ups," Claire spoke up for the first time in this entire conversation. And we all looked towards the little blonde to make sure it really happened.

"Did you just _speak_?" Bay finally asked, flabbergasted.

"Uh," Claire nervously tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear, "yeah."

Massie smiled and leaned over to hug the tiny blonde.

"Sweetie, you _finally_ spoke. I was worried you were partly mute," Massie laughed, and everyone took their mind off making a plan to congratulate Claire. And I was about to join in when my cell phone buzzed in my front pocket.

_Josh:_

_Bored out of my mind. Miss you. Where the hell are you? Tried to get to your Skype, but it wouldn't go through._

I put my phone into my purse and noticed something I didn't notice that was in the corner of Bay's laptop.

"Is that Griffon?" I stared at the photo.

It was a picture of Bay and some boy. She was wearing a black tee shirt with the name of some camp written in the same blue of her bikini top underneath Her long black hair was in a ponytail and waving in the beach wind. The boy's black hair was shaggy and went into his olive-colored eyes. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and touching his bare arm in the picture made her cheeks turn scarlet for more than just sunburn.

"No," Bay blushed as she pulled the photo out of the corner, but Massie snapped it out of her hand.

"Is this really Griffon?" Massie reached over to hand it to Kristen, and Bay tried again to get it back though she couldn't.

"Longer hair, but yeah," Kristen smiled, and Layne took it.

"They went to a writing camp," Layne sing-sang, "And they get together every few months or so to work for school or for stuff like that. Bay-Bay here fell in love with him the first day she saw him!"

"I did not!" Bay blushed.

"Oh really, then why did you try to get a job at the pizza place?" Layne raised an eyebrow.

"I needed a part-time job for College Applications. And the Saks place wasn't open yet. Plus I love pizza," Bay blushed again.

"Guys, calm down. She _doesn't_ like him," Kristen smiled, "Too bad though, I guess. I'm pretty good friends with him and could have put in a good word."

Bay sat there, not sure what she could say, or if there was _anything_ she could say.

"Do it, Kris," Layne urged Kristen.

Bay stopped and smiled to herself, and she decided that she was just going to leave it alone for something else.

"We need a name, for the group. PC's too old and won't seem new enough. It won't really scare Alicia enough."

I smiled and nodded.

_**Kristen,**_

I cringed as I looked at the shopping bags. As a truce between me and my cousin, my aunt took us both shopping. My Aunt let me buy an adorable lace top that I knew Bay would love, but my cousin reprimanded me and picked out clothes that were even too serious and country club for Massie, whose fashion icon was Kate Middleton.

I peeked inside of the bags and wanted to throw up as I noticed the Champaign polo. I glanced towards the coffee shop in the mall where my aunt and cousin were getting us lattes, which of course was my cousin's idea, and I started to wonder what I'd do with the polo.

I was contemplating which friend I'd pass it down to or which charity I'd give it to when I noticed Dempsey walking his little twin brothers, Theo and Tommy, from the Karate class.

"Dempsey?"

Dempsey looked up from talking to Theo, or who I think was Theo, and smiled and me. He led the two little boys to come stand in front of the bench I was in.

"Hey," I smiled wide, happy to see him for the first time in a long time.

"Guys, this is Kristen, we were friends when we were younger," Dempsey smiled to his two younger brothers, "And, Kris, this is Theo," Dempsey put his hand on his back, "And this is Tommy," he set his hand on the other twin's back.

"You're _the Kristen_?"

"The Kristen?"

"Uh," Dempsey blushed.

"What has your brother said about Kristen?"

"He said-"

Dempsey covered Theo's mouth.

"Aren't these kids so adorable?" Dempsey smiled.

"So adorable, must have been the reason you missed the party, eh? Couldn't get away from these guys? Right?" I smiled at Tommy.

"Oh, he said-"

Dempsey covered Tommy's mouth, too.

"I'm sorry about the party. I was about to go and then there was this thing that came up. And I've just been so busy with everything. You had fun, right? I don't want to feel too bad about leaving you to fend for yourself. You knew people, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I did. I ran into Griffon in the parking lot, and he introduced me to people," I nodded.

"Oh…Griffon. Yeah, he knows just about everyone, lucky you found him," Dempsey nodded, "Uh, how is he? Haven't heard from him in forever."

"Good, I guess," I shrugged, "You know how Griffon is."

"Yeah, I guess I do…" Dempsey's jaw tightened, and he let go of the boy's mouth.

"I better get the twins home, time for their shots so they can go to Africa with us at the end of the summer."

"Bye, Dempsey," I smiled weakly, knowing I didn't want him to walk away and that something was definitely wrong. He smiled at me and led the kids away.

"Bye, Kristen!" Theo, who I might mention was the definition of _Theodorable_, yelled out when he was a few hundred feet later.

"Bye, Theo!"

Theo smiled that I remembered his name and turned around to keep going with his older brother.

I smiled to myself and kept thinking about Dempsey, and I was still thinking about him when my cousin and Aunt sat back down beside me, stunning the hell out of me.

"Who was that?" my aunt smiled and nodded towards Dempsey and his little brothers.

"An old friend," I shrugged, and I took the latte from my cousin.

My cell phone dinged, and I dug it out of my purse while my cousin started talking again. I stopped listening to my cousin and smiled at the contact picture of Layne asleep on Bay's couch, drooling.

_Layne:_

_Meeting at Notes for Life in two hours._

"Come on, it's time for lunch. DeAndre's is wonderful," my cousin instructed, and my aunt stood up. I nodded and quickly fired off a text before following after them.

_Me:_

_I'll be there_

_**Alicia, **_

"Anything else, Miss Alicia?" Mazy, my long time house-keeper asked me. She was like Enez but was able to make the Spanish dishes my family craved. She was an amazing cook, and her deserts were to die for. But I had asked for three salads and three glasses of Vitamin Water because there were people with me, people who would have commented on how I needed to eat only salads if I wanted to keep my body.

I glanced towards the two blondes I called my Beta, silently asking them if they needed anything else. They had slept over the night before, and this morning had been spent getting the things they needed.

Olivia's blonde hair was straight and significantly thinner without her curly extensions. Her skin was blotchy and pale without her make-up or moisturizers, and she looked older than she actually was. The night before, she had worn an old nightgown of mine, from when I was less endowed, and she had searched my closet for something of hers this morning. She had found a pair of skinny jeans from Winter and a Briarwood Cheerleading tee shirt that I kept in my closet mainly to brag about how I had started it, even if Massie did.

CeCe looked better but not by much. She had luckily been wearing her extensions when she got the call to immediately report to my place. Her summer tan helped out her skin's terrible withdraw from the make-up and moisturizers, but her eyes were bloodshot. CeCe's lips looked thin without her lip plumper, and she looked like she wanted to die from the clothes she had been stuck with. Last month, we had cleaned out our closets and donated the extra stuff, meaning anything of CeCe's was gone. She was wearing a blue sundress that didn't fit her features and she had to borrow a leather belt to make it so she wouldn't cry.

They both shook their head quickly.

"No thanks, Mazy," I smiled and watched her to see that she was completely gone, taking the empty plates and glasses with her.

The door closed, and I looked towards the girls.

CeCe took that as her queue and motioned for us to sit on the dance floor. She took an old file, something she had stolen from Bay's room before Bay packed everything up when her space as a group was taken away. CeCe took out a pile of photos with a paper clip holding it together with a post-it saying 'PCMS' in bold letters.

"Now, remember, some of these kids are in their own groups now, some are out for the summer, and we've burned some bridges," I instructed, "But you can sponsor as many as you want."

They both nodded, not smiling like they had last year we had sponsored possible new Betas for our senior year.

It took us ten minutes to go through the PCMS girls and fifteen through the ADHD girls. Afterwards, we looked through our girl's bio to think if they were really the girl we wanted. That took another ten minutes, and, finally, we were ready to show off the girls we had chosen.

"Mona Robins?" Olivia smiled hopefully.

"Summer camp," I answered immediately.

"Chrysanthemum Dubose?"

"Hates us and is in France with Peter, visiting her grandmother."

"Abbie Hugo?"

We all stared at Olivia.

"Too slutty," I shook my head, "Don't want the new Beta to have to get a pregnancy test every week."

This went on and on. Either the girl hated us, she wasn't right for the group, or she was out for the summer.

"I hate this," Olivia finally pouted as she realized the ADHD skanks she had chosen weren't getting in, "I miss Bay. She would have known how to pick the perfect Beta in minutes."

I stared at Olivia, wanting to hit that pale little face of hers.

I missed Bay, I missed Bay a lot. I missed how she sometimes seemed to be the only other one in the room with a brain, and I knew she was the only one with her humanity intact. Aside from missing her as a friend, which I really did, she was my best asset.

She knew everything, and, what she didn't know, she could easily learn. She was better connected than I was, even if I didn't want to admit it. She could get a computer genius to hack into the PCMS database before school started and make sure we had at least one class together, and then she could have her mom's famous boyfriend, whichever it was that week, get us all super awesome tickets to some event. Bay was the secret as to why we ruled so much. Whoever had Bay had the secret to success, and I didn't know how to break it to the others.

I saw CeCe's features soften, and I knew she was about to chime in.

"Screw this!" I pushed my stack of photos, sending them flying everywhere, "Bay wasn't adding to our popularity."

_Lie one._

"And we sure as hell don't need her."

_Lie two._

"We can take down Massie on our own."

_Lie three._

_And I'm out!_

CeCe and Olivia smiled and hugged me, happy to know their alpha still had strength.

I just wished I could be as happy as they were.

_**Claire**_,

I hung up the costumes that were still being altered for the actors and listened to Dylan rehearse with the young boy who was playing the prince, whose name I forgot.

I wasn't sure that I missed acting, but I missed escaping to another world, being another person. It's not like I wanted to go back to acting in anyway, but I wanted to go back to being different people instead of just boring old me.

My body tensed as I noticed Karen walking backstage.

The director was a sweet guy, really cute too. It was hard to think of him as mean, but he had to go get things done somehow. And that was where Karen came in. She was his assistant and had been for a long time, and we had all learned to be afraid of her.

"Oh, Claire?" she smiled and waved me over, and I mentally groaned.

"Hey, Karen," I smiled wide, and she made her fast strut over to me.

"Have you seen Cam, Cam Fisher?"

No, I hadn't. I hadn't noticed him this morning, but he was known for disappearing backstage because Karen kept giving him the annoying jobs.

"I've been looking for him," Karen urged.

"Uh, I think he went to the bathroom," I lied, even though it was so pathetic that I wonder if it even counts as a lie.

"Oh," Karen frowned, probably wishing that I had blabbed that he wasn't here.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Well, if you see him before I do, can you tell him to go to Staples and pick up the Script changes. We need them pretty soon," Karen smiled, and I knew that she meant, if he didn't show up soon, I needed to get it.

"Will do."

"Kay," she smiled and turned around to go back with the director, and I glared at her while she walked away.

I kept myself calm by thinking of how I'd kill her at the end of the summer and brought out my car keys from my jean pocket to go and get it for Cam. Sure, he'd probably never thank me and act like nothing happened, but Karen would kill the first person she could find if she didn't see those script changes soon. And I'd be that first person.

I quickly hung up the rest of the costumes, not taking the time to categorize them like I had before.

Once I had finished shoving them all on a rack, I made my way to the back door so Karen wouldn't see when I left, even if she had basically told me to do it. I went to the hall and fired of a text to Dylan, asking her to cover for me if Karen freaked out, and I was about to leave when the door creaked open.

Cam stood there, wearing jeans and a hoodie. Black raybands were perched on his nose, and he was holding a redbull in his hand. I had dated Cam long enough before to know that he was hung over, _really _hung over.

"Oh, hey," his voice was hoarse, "Karen complain about me being late yet?"

"I covered for you, she thinks you're in the bathroom or something."

"Oh," Cam frowned like he was shocked and hesitantly took off his raybands, "Uh, thanks, Claire."

"Karen wants you to pick up the Script changes at Staples again," I nodded, feeling an awkwardness seep into our conversation.

"Right, uh, yeah, will do," he nodded quickly and was about to leave when I stopped him.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked, and Cam hesitated.

"Just a fight with CeCe," he shrugged but acted like he had another question for me, "Uh, Claire?"

"Yes, Cam?"

"Did you ever…? I mean, in all the years we were together, did you ever…? Well, did you ever cheat on me?"

I stared at him, not sure how to process this all. We had been together a long time, and people in our situation would have cheated long ago, even if they did love the person they were with. I had quite often wondered if he had cheated, even though it had never come across my mind when we were dating.

I thought to see if anything I had done counted as cheating using the rule of "If I saw my boyfriend doing the same, would I think it was cheating". I had flirted, sometimes out of boredom or dares or to make him angry. I had kissed one other guy during this time, but he was a friend who told me that I hadn't failed a subject in school, and I kissed him out of joy and quickly ran off to tell my family the news. And I ended up telling Cam about it that night, so it didn't really count.

"No, no, I didn't," I shook my head, realizing I was telling the truth.

Cam weakly smiled and nodded.

"Guess I shoulda stayed with you, huh?"

I stared at him, not sure if he was joking or if he was being serious. He left without another word and without any clarification of his meaning. And I just stared at the door for a while.

Finally, I turned around and walked back to the costumes to fix them so I wouldn't get chewed out by Karen for not doing my job.

"Claire?" Dylan called out and quickly came over to me.

"Hey, Dyl," I nodded.

"Why are you still here?" she held up her phone.

"Cam showed up," I shrugged as I continued to sort the costumes, and Dylan came closer.

"You okay, Claire?" she asked slowly, as if trying to figure it out without my answer.

"I'm fine," I lied with a shrug.

_**Massie,**_

My fingers quickly ran over my keyboard in response to James's text.

_Shut it, Jamie. I promise I won't be home too late, and I won't sleep over at Bay's. Sorry for forgetting to al last night, I really am. Love you._

I pressed send and waited for the phone to buzz with another text message, knowing James loved long text messages even if my thumbs didn't.

_That's all I'm asking_

_-"Jamie"_

I smiled and pushed the cell phone back into my purse.

I looked up to my friends and immediately felt the glares of the petite cashier. She had been doing that for a while now, for days actually. At first, I ignored it, thinking it was something bad she had read about me. But it was getting to the breaking point.

"Uh, Layne," I leaned over towards her, "Why is that girl staring at me?" I nodded towards the cashier.

"I don't know, maybe you burned her a long time ago or something," Layne shrugged, and Claire leaned over to me too.

"She's my friend," Claire explained, "She's worried for me, just ignore it."

I nodded, even though I was still nervous.

"Hey, Guys," Bay called to us, and we instantly turned to look at her, "Do you really want to mess with Alicia's head?"

"Yeah…" I hesitantly answered, "Why?"

"Because," Bay smiled, "There happens to be one thing that Alicia hates more than you, and his name is Derrick Harrington."

"Derrington?" Kristen laughed, "She _hates_ Derrington?"

"A lot, a _whole lot_. And I have a way to get them together."

I raised an eyebrow for her to continue.

"She needs a SAT tutor, it looks good to the Dance School with a better score. Her mom put her up on this site for Westchester tutors, and Derrick's mom just put him up for being a tutor."

"So?" Dylan asked.

"I'm friends with him, sort of, as close as he can get to a girl without trying to get them in bed, and I was with him when he filled out the questioner last week, but he talked his mom into waiting for a week or two to post it on the site. I can get into Alicia's account and change her answers to meet his," Bay answered as if it was no big deal.

"How?" I crossed my arms, worried that this might involve something illegal or at least morally wrong.

"She used my computer to log on so she could change a few answers so she wouldn't find a tutor, and I haven't cleared my history. The username and password is still in the blanks," Bay shrugged, smiling, and it took us three seconds to rush around her to watch.

Bay smiled to herself and pressed "Log In"

We watched it go straight through without any problems. The site was well laid out, so much so that I wondered how much it had cost to get it like that. Bay pressed the 'Profile' page. It showed her current status, looking for a tutor, and Alicia had a photo of herself looking conservative and sweet instead of the slutty bitch she really was.

Bay pressed a button to change her questions to find a tutor.

She quickly pressed buttons, barely even looking at it as she quickly chose it. I watched with anticipation as she hesitated on the "Evaluate".

Bay looked around, and we all silently urged her to press the button.

"And…" Bay smiled as set her hand on the mouse button, "Click!

Derrick Harrington- 100 Percent

Lousia Diable- 78 Percent

Walter Fredricks- 66 Percent

He names and percent of answers right showed up immediately.

"That's it!"

"That's what?" Layne looked back at me.

"That's it. The name. Click, for the name of our group. C-L-I-C-K, like C-L-I-Q-U-E. And the computer. We 'Click' to finish things," I quickly told them.

And they all stared at me.

"Click," Layne seemed to let it roll over her tongue and think about it.

"I like it," Kristen shrugged.

"Better than _Massie and the Crew_," Dylan laughed.

"I'm in," Claire answered, and Bay smiled as she nodded.

"Click it is."

_**Alicia,**_

I logged on my MAC to check my email for the first time today. _Gossip Girl_ hadn't been posted yet today, thank God, and I had mainly stayed away from my computer today. Now that CeCe and Olivia had gone home, I was finally able to actually check my computer without having two annoying friends pester me about clothes they need to borrow, I was free to do so.

I opened my email and was about to open the one new one my inbox warned me about when I heard my mother call out to me.

"Alicia! Come here!" my mom called out in both a polite but forceful manner, meaning that there was someone downstairs that she didn't want to be embarrassed in front of.

I groaned as I got out of my chair, knowing that the adoption agency was probably early or friend of my parents had surprisingly dropped by.

I pulled a white fleece over my tank top because I knew my mom hated when I wore tank tops, and I left my room. I went down the stairs and found my mother standing at a doorway. She was alone, so that meant that the visitor was in the waiting room, meaning it wasn't one of Dad's friends. They always went to his office, and Mom's friends stood by her to give me the once-over to see if their daughter was prettier.

"Wonderful news, Alicia. I checked for a tutor, and I found one who was absolutely perfect."

I mentally cursed, knowing I'd be stuck with some loser with all the answers I had put in.

"Come on, Sweetheart," my mom took my arm as soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, and she took me to the sitting room.

_Damn it._

Derrington smirked in front of me, looking as hot as ever, and I wanted to take the letter opener on the desk and slit his throat, just like I always did when we were caught in a room with sharp objects.

"Hey, Leesh," he smiled, knowing I hated when he called me that.

"You two know each other?" my mom knit her eyebrows, and I continued to stare at him, telling myself he couldn't be my tutor. He didn't have enough brain cells to read his IQ score, much less tutor me.

"So, where is the tutor? Is it your sister or something?" I crossed my arms, knowing that his sister, though I hated her for stealing the college guy I was interested in one summer, Sammi was a better choice.

"No, no," Mom shook her head like I was silly, "Derrick here is your tutor."

I felt my world crash around me as I stared at him.

"Hi," he smiled, knowing I was breaking down.

My breathing labored, and I fumbled for my phone in my pocket. I went to my email and quickly read it, scared of what it would read. There were only six people who could do this, and I was silently begging the universe that there was a mysterious seventh.

_Enjoy your study date!_

_-Click_


	9. Kiss These LBR's Goodbye Honey

_**Massie:**_

_Gather round! Gather round!_

_It's official. Massie Block has picked her new Beta's, to make a group of six, and they're ready for battle against the itGirls. Be afraid, be very afraid, Alicia. Will the teacher show her dominance against the student, or will it be the student's time to shine?_

_Either way, it's on. Looks like none of the itGirls can afford to be MIA (Missing In Armani) while the "Click" is out to take the crown. This is warfare, old fashioned social warfare. So, get ready for scandals, bitchy attitudes, and true colors, people of Westchester. Choose your side and hope you choose wisely…_

I stopped reading Gossip Girl to check the time, wondering where Bay was. We had to be back to work soon, and Bay was already late. Before the break, she had told me to get us a table at Starbucks while she went to go pick something up.

That was ten minutes ago, and we have ten minutes left.

I kept reading until I got to the end, and I decided to reply to emails from Robin, who was in some soccer training camp that he just adored and kept on talking about non-stop. The "Click" had kept me busy, so much so that I was worried I had been ignoring my UK friends.

I stared to worry what Brianna was going to do. Brianna didn't like Bay, she was jealous of how successful but young she was. Bay had taken the job Brianna wanted because they wanted a younger audience than a bunch of MRS. Degree women who worked there to fill their boring days, and I had also done the same as Bay. It was obvious she wanted us out, and I was determined not to give her an opportunity.

I heard more noises in the coffee shop, but I paid more attention to the email I was drafting to send to Robin, congratulating him.

"Hey, Block."

"Shut up, _Harrington_."

I paused and realized what I had said, and I looked up while closing my computer.

"Derrington!"

I smiled wide as I reached across the table and hugged the blonde.

"Sorry I'm late, Derrick's pretty hard to find," Bay smiled, "But I thought you needed to meet our secret weapon here."

"So, you're the reason I'm tutoring Miss Thing, huh?"

"Oh, do you mind?" I quickly asked, hoping he wasn't here to quiet.

"No way," Derrington smiled as he shook his head, "Loving it. I actually have a reason to annoy her, and I get to annoy Brandon at the same time. It's perfect. Plus it gets me out of working with my dad this summer."

"Thank you so much, you're really the only thing that can make Alicia flinch these days," I smiled, pleased that he was in this for the long run. We still were in the early stages, and Derrington was a big part of getting us to the top. He's got to stun Alicia and take up some of her negative energy that could be used against the Click.

"You guys want some coffee?" Bay asked.

"Yeah, white mocha," I nodded, and Derrington asked for an iced coffee. For a moment, I didn't quite know what to say to the male alpha.

He was still handsome, with bright brown eyes and shaggy blonde hair. Even though I wasn't really in to blondes, he still made me blush a little. And he had that feeling to him, that "Guy Alpha" thing. He had everything that made him a god with other guys, and it was clear that he would have had that in Britain too. James was the alpha there (as he was the captian of the rugby team and super smart and hawt), but he didn't have it here. He was the guy that girls love, but guys don't look up to him like they look up to Derrington.

"I'm just now realizing that this is the longest civil conversation since we broke up in Seventh Grade," Derrington smirked, and I blushed, realizing that he was right.

"I was kinda a bitch, wasn't I?"

"Uh, it was a chase, and it was sure as hell fun," he smiled.

"Until you hooked-up with my best friend."

"Well yeah," he laughed, and I did the same.

We could be friends, yeah. Of course, he'd tell a lot of stories about me to James that I wanted to keep under wraps, but I could live those down after all the things I've admitted to James.

"So, what's up with you and Alicia?" I asked him, crossing my arms playfully.

"The truth is that I'm exactly like her. I love hook-ups. People love me. And I can be an ass. But I accept it. It's like she hides it, and she hates me for it," Derrington shrugged, like 'That's just weird girls'

Bay sat down at the car across from me and pushed the coffees to us.

"Thanks," Derrington smiled his dazzling white smile and picked up the iced coffee, and his smile made even Bay blush.

"We better get going, Mass. We'll get in touch with you later," Bay nodded towards Derrington, and he raised his coffee towards her as if making a toast to her.

"Got it."

I shook my head at him and picked up my coffee while following after Bay.

"It's simply not fair how hot that boy is," Bay smiled as she hooked her arm through mine as we walked back to the store, and I smiled, too.

"Not fair one bit," I smiled, "Even if I do prefer James," I nudged her.

"Keep on with your bragging, little miss. First, you had every hot guy in this town. Then you went abroad and got Mr. Perfect! Brag on. I'm in love with my perfect match who will never even really notice me, forever seeing me as a good friend or fellow writer," Bay shook her head, admitting for the first time that she liked someone.

"Are we talking about Griffon?" I sing-sang.

Bay took her free hand and made the "Zip the lips and lock them up" gesture and smiled, telling me I was right without handing me something I could possibly use against her.

"But still, how did you get a guy like James? I mean, you didn't tell him things for years, and you come out with them. And he doesn't even blink. You're reconnecting with exes, and he just shrugs them off," Bay shook her head, "And then Derrington! He's like a god, and James will be fine with it probably. Nothing can break him."

I paused, letting that sink in.

"Yeah, _nothing_…" I spoke, mainly to myself.

_**Alicia,**_

I let the bright sun seep into my skin, and the bliss of the moment was wonderful, letting me smile for the first time today. Feeling enough happiness swell inside me, I turned my attention towards the reason I had to be unhappy.

Derrington was wearing checkered board shorts and a blue tee shirt, something that I would have hated on other boys but loved on him. His blonde hair was falling into his beautiful face, and he had black raybands perched on his nose as he read a book.

Olivia was smiling like a giddy school girl, continuously arching her chest and moving around to make herself more noticeable to him, but he didn't care. He was the only popular and attractive boy who Olivia had not hooked up with because he found her too easy. Over the years, he had acquired a taste for a chase, something Olivia blamed on Massie, and she was unable to play hard to get, even if she tried desperately.

I glared at Derrington, feeling my blood boil for more than just the hot surroundings.

"I'd prefer you stop _glaring_ at me," Derrington, sounding bored, told me as he continued to read.

"Well,_ I'd _prefer you left."

Olivia pouted.

"You're the one keeping me here, you study and I leave. That simple," Derrington smirked, still not looking up from his copy of the Son of Neptune.

I guess he was right, not that I wanted to admit that. But I needed all of my brain power devoted to leaning ways to bring Massie down again, not vocabulary words.

Before I could say anything, the house door opened up, showing my beautiful mother. She swept onto the porch with her model walk, and she lowered her tortoise-shell glasses to look at me and my blonde friends.

"I'm off, do any of you need anything?" my mother asked, and she took a few steps to where she could see us and where she could see Derrington.

"Derrick, what on earth are you doing here still?" Mom took off her sunglasses to look at Derrington, and he smiled, seeing the offer he was being handed.

I sat up immediately and pulled off my sunglasses, knowing what he was thinking. I had been a Mean Girl long enough to know all this. I knew I needed to interject, tell my mother some story before Derrington could. But I stumbled, not sure what my mother wouldn't get mad at me.

I tried to answer before he could, but he took the chance.

"Alicia's been too busy to study, and I've been waiting until she has time," Derrick told my mother, faking innocence like he didn't know what he had done.

"What?" her eyes narrowed at me, "Alicia!"

"No, no, Mrs. Riveria," Derrington jumped up, "Don't let Alicia get in trouble. I guess I'm just not a good enough tutor."

"Oh, Derrick," my smiled, probably wishing that he was her child instead of me, "You're wonderful, simply wonderful. But Alicia has been the opposite," her cold glare washed over me, "If Alicia wants to live her dreams, she needs a better score. And she needs to study _now_."

I didn't say anything, mainly out of hatred for Derrington and fear of my mother.

"I know," she smiled like she knew how to fix everything, "You can stay here tonight, Alicia, and he can help you study. And, we will _all_ work out a schedule where you _have to study _and won't have all these…._distractions_."

She glared at my two friends.

"You don't mind staying here tonight, do you?"

"Works perfectly," he smiled approvingly, and I felt my heart stop.

No, no, this is _not_ happening.

"I can't stay here tonight! Jessica's party is _tonight_. And she'll take away my Spa card if I don't come!" I jumped out of the lounge chair and quickly pleaded with my mother.

I couldn't afford to miss this party, both social wise and financially. I had spent millions at Jessica's family spa, and she had given me a 'Free Pass' on everything to get on my good side. And I need Veeta's massage pronto to calm my nerves. And I'm pretty sure not even Bill Gates could afford the many treatments I've had.

And I definitely couldn't handle missing this party for more than the money. I needed to appear strong against the Click, corny name by the way. And missing it showed fear. It gave them a chance take over these weak minded losers that inhabited my town. That just couldn't happen. It _couldn't._

'"You should have thought about that when you decided that tanning was more important than SAT scores, Alicia, and, if everything gets too expensive, you could always _get a job_ with your dad. We could work the hours around your dancing," my mother crossed her arms, knowing I wouldn't protest.

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I didn't say anything. I bit my tongue and nodded out of respect for my mother. She said goodbye to Derrington with that sweet voice I missed being used on me, and she was cold as she bid me fair well. Even the clack of her high heels sounded serious and sickening, and I just stood there, unable to breathe.

"Goodbye, Alicia," Derrington told me in that annoying chipper voice that made me want to strangle him, knowing he'd won.

"Why are you so happy? You just got me stuck here tonight!" I gestured to the estate as he came closer to me.

"No, _you_," Derrington looked me directly in the eyes, "Got yourself stuck here."

He left without another word, and I turned my attention back to my Betas to give them the briefing on what they needed to do in my absence. Oh, and to complain about Derrington, of course.

_**Dylan,**_

I pressed the speaker button on my cell phone while I continued to apply my make-up for the party tonight. Usually, I'd be talking to my friends before a party about what we were wearing or about gossip. But I still wasn't really talking to my FF, _Famous Friends_, after they had decided to turn their trip into a world tour.

And my new friends, the Clique, were all too busy getting ready.

"This totally sucks. You're going to a party with your friends while I'm at a boring family dinner with my grandmother," Josh complained.

"You hate parties, Josh."

"So?" Josh countered, making me laugh.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Besides your grandmother is a sweet heart.

_Unlike my dad's bitchy snob of a mother…_ I mentally added.

"You're just trying to hang up, aren't you, Dyl?"

"Maybe…"

We both laughed, and my cell phone also buzzed with a new text. I put away my mascara wand and reached for my cell phone, still listening as Josh called out something to his little sister.

_Bay:_

_Get your skinny butt down here! Waiting in the driveway!_

As if on cue of reading that line, a honk came from the driveway outside of my window, and I quickly told Josh goodbye and hung up before he could protest. I reached for random things like mascara, chapstick, and my cell phone and threw them into my purse, and I took one good look at myself in the full length mirror.

Massie's work couture had been my inspiration for tonight. I had straightened my ringlets and borrowed some of my sister's extensions, who had the same fire red hair as me. A red and white pinstripe mini skirt showed off my long legs, and a lacey tank top, courtesy of Kristen, fit my body perfectly. The studded leather vest I had borrowed from Layne didn't fit me as well as I had hoped because Layne was more endowed than I was, but it still looked good. My red heels added at least three inches to my height, making me about the height of Josh, or at least they would when I put them on.

I pulled my purse's strap over my shoulder and ran through the house, holding my high heels in my hand.

"Bye, Mom! Bye, Drew!" I yelled out to the only two family members I knew would be home as Ryan was at a meeting to discuss how the show was going to announce her pregnancy and engagement when we started shooting that episode tomorrow.

"Bye, Dyl!" Drew called out, and I didn't wait to hear my mother. Instead, I ran straight out the front door and towards the Range Rover parked in the driveway.

"Come on!" Layne rolled down the window and waved me over. I ran faster towards the car, and the door behind Layne was pushed open by Kristen. I wriggled in, barely fitting in, and I closed the door behind me.

"I've got good news, guys," Bay smiled as she pulled the car around and started to drive us towards Jessica's place in the Modern sub-neighborhood that was about ten minutes away from my place.

"What happened?" Claire was the first to ask, looking particularly uncomfortable being squished between Massie and Kristen.

"The itGirls are going to be without their master tonight, Alicia is stuck home tonight," Bay smiled wide as she took a turn.

"Yes!" Massie cheered, and this made everyone laugh, especially Layne.

"To start the party early!" Layne yelled as she slid a CD into the player and turned up the volume to an almost unbearable point, and everyone sang along, even me though I never sang.

As I noticed we were pulling into the sub-neighborhood Jessica lived in, I squirmed around to make room so that I could put on my heels, and Layne turned down the music so that we could talk among ourselves. Bay gave us the history of Jessica and how important this party could be, including a "Spa Card" who she gave to Alphas to get on their good side.

I tried to listen, but this was mainly a conversation for Massie and Bay. We were just included so we wouldn't be left out and we knew what not to say or who not to screw with. As I listened to Bay explain things, I realized that this is probably what we'd all be doing if the PC was still together.

Only Alicia would be with us, and Massie would be driving, and there wouldn't be instructions being yelled over the music.

"Here we are," Layne smiled wide as we pulled onto the right drive and saw the cars parked everywhere, "Get your last breath of fresh air before booze and Chanel Number Five poison the air."

Massie smiled and took out a mini bottle of the perfume she was talking about and sprayed it in the front seat, and Layne coughed, most of it fake to play along. Bay smiled along, but I knew this had to be killing her at least on some level.

She knew everything about this town, and she knew how this ran. And she learned all this from her Alpha, Alicia, and she had come to this place for parties a million times with her alpha. She had even used the "Spa Card" that was at stake. Now, she was going against her Alpha from the bottom when she had been at the top for so very long.

Layne clicked off the radio as Bay pulled into the best parking spot, reserved for the Alpha, but Bay paused after bringing the car into park.

"This is it, proving time. The Click's first party," Bay nodded, fear evident in her melodic voice.

We all looked at each other. We had all shown fear at certain points, even Layne. But Bay had stayed the same cement figure of strength that was comforting. It was that constant in life that you know will always be there no matter what, and it had just shattered.

"Then let's do it!" Massie finally called upon her Alpha-ness to bring us back to the happy mood we had been in earlier, and I smiled at my friend.

"Come on!" Layne cheered, also trying to keep the spirits up, and she pushed her door open and shimmied out. I smiled as I followed out, almost falling on my ass when I came out, but I managed to keep myself up.

"Let's go," Massie nodded towards the door, and we instantly went into a natural formation, with Massie at the front, and we all walked at ease though having not done this in forever or, for some of us, _never_. It was a second nature that was just hiding within us for this moment.

Massie stopped in front of the door and ruffled her wavy brown hair. She put a glossy stare of "Cooler Than You" into her amber eyes and straightened her posture before pushing open the front door, and we all followed her in.

Everyone in the room turned to look at us, not that Massie acted like she noticed. In fact, she perfectly pulled of the need of the Westchester citizens to be pushed down. She had been raised to do this, and she hadn't forgotten any of it, making me highly doubt she ever would.

For a while, everyone stared. Then they swarmed.

"Ehmagawd!"

"How was London? Did you meet Prince Harry?"

"I love that dress!"

"You're name is awesome. Click? So smart!"

Massie smiled and looked around, and we all knew what she was thinking.

We're in!

_**Kristen,**_

I smiled as I watched my Alpha take over the party in a way that should have been documented for all of history. She was like heroine to them, and they just couldn't get enough. Bay stood beside her, learning the Alpha's ways. The Click had separated for a while, spreading around, but the crowd was still mainly centered around Massie while she told about her London adventures.

Still smiling, I turned around and went towards the drink table, knowing I needed to get back to my Alpha pretty soon. I glanced at myself in the mirror above the drink table.

I had to put in extensions to my hair to make the high pony-tail, but it looked worth it all. As the only thing that my cousin picked out that I didn't want to burn, I had to wear this dress tonight. It was Greek-style, making me look like a goddess as Massie had informed me when she picked me up earlier. There was a black mini dress underneath where the draped white fabric didn't cover. I had felt like I would be overdressed at the party, but I didn't regret wearing it now. I only regretted the pain I was getting with these black heels.

I reached for a plastic cup at the same time someone else did, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Dempsey?" I smiled, and he looked at me from how he had been looking the other way.

"Kristen," his smile made my heart flutter, "Wow, you look amazing."

I blushed.

"Thanks, Dempsey. You look great, too," I felt my heart beat race.

He stared into my eyes, unable to say anything, and I found myself doing the same.

That was when I heard her.

"Dempsey?"

I looked away towards her, and he did, too.

She was a petite blonde, with her hair shaped into a bob. Her brown eyes stared at Dempsey, happy. I loved her dress and realized that I had the same one in my closet back in Florida. Her sweater dress had the sleeves as the same length as the bottom of the dress, but it wasn't a problem with how tiny she was. She was wearing clear gladiator sandals, an itGirl style that even I wished I had followed.

I suddenly realized that I needed to pass my sweater dress down to a friend, a Florida friend so that I would never see it again.

"There you are, been looking for you, Dempsey," she smiled wide as she came over to stand beside him.

"Uh, Daphne…" Dempsey started to stutter, and I stepped in.

"I'm Kristen," I smiled, trying not to throw up.

"Daphne," she nodded, "I love that dress. Where'd you get it?"

"Uh, my friend, Massie, got it for me. She works at Saks and got it reserved for me," I smiled, feeling my stomach knot as I tried to think of who she could be.

An old friend?

A cousin, maybe?

I stared at her, trying to see similarities that might come from them being related. Or at least signs of them just being friends.

"Love it," Daphne gushed, and she wrapped her arms around Dempsey's arm.

My face fell and my heart pounded.

"Kristen," Dempsey, seeing I as already knew, broke down and explained, "this is my date, Daphne."

Daphne smiled, blushing, and my world started to crush around me.

I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. I could just stand there, watching Daphne latch onto Dempsey once he had claimed her as his date, and this was making it that much worse.

"Kris! There you are!"

I breathed a silent breath of relief and looked towards my friend.

Layne waved at me and Dempsey, smiling like Massie had taught us all. She scurried over to us, with no problems in her black ankle boots that would have made me as slow as Alicia. I had to admit that I wished I had worn her outfit so that I could look kick-ass in front of Dempsey and scare the hell out of him. She had a form-fitting black long-sleeve shirt that showed off her curvy body. She had a half shirt with a name for All Time Low, her secretly favorite band. She had a pair of aquamarine tights to match the "All Time Low" logo, and it hid the tattoo right above her ankle. And the black mini skirt was a little too big for her, but you barely noticed.

"Hey, Dempsey," she nodded towards him.

They were friends a long time ago until she fell for him. And he fell for _me_.

They became friends again, sort of. They weren't as close as they could be. Cam had replaced him in "Guy-Friend" world, and that was permanent. Dempsey was a memory of a friend and an acquaintance, a guy you nodded to when you passed him but you didn't stop to talk.

"Layne," he nodded, too, knowing the order of things.

Layne's glance washed over Daphne, but she didn't pay too much attention to her.

"Kristen, Massie needs you," Layne didn't have to say another word. I nodded and smiled towards Dempsey and Daphne.

"Bye," my voice was small, barely audible. Layne looped her arm through mine and steered me towards Massie.

"You okay, Kristen?"

No.

"He's an ass about that," Layne shook her head.

"At least it wasn't my best friend, like what he did to you," I smiled, acting like I was fine.

But I wasn't.

I was about as fine as upstaging your sister at her wedding.

_**Claire,**_

I slid the door close behind me and took a deep breath of the fresh air, even if it still smelled like hairspray from girls stepping out to fix their hair.

In the last twenty-four hours since Bay had posted the Gossip Girl post, my entire image had changed. Not only had she changed how people saw me now, but Massie had changed my past. Before, I was too lame to join in their reindeer games, but I had morphed into too cool to put up with them.

Ten minutes ago, I had been asked out by Boseman, an ADHD soccer god who was known for going by one name "Boseman", though I wasn't sure if it was his last name or first. Nor did I care or did anyone else. I had a crush on him last year while I was tutoring him (I'm afraid he has the IQ of dryer lint), and I had asked him to the dance. He laughed when I asked him to the 'Girls-Choice' dance, thinking it was a joke, and I nodded as if it was too. So, I did the same when he asked me to a party next week.

I felt sick as I sucked in some more fresh air and looked around the abandoned patio. There used to be a bunch of people out here, but Massie had just unleashed an army of stories about James, her long-time boyfriend and dream boy of every girl. And girls rushed from all over to hear, dragging the boys with them to compare.

That was when I noticed Cam sitting under a decked out gazebo, scowling at a phone and grumbling.

I thought about it for a minute, if I should go or not. Finally, I worked up my courage and made my way to the gazebo, but I quickly lost it when I got there.

"Knock, Knock," I asked weakly as I knocked on the metal post, and he looked up.

"Hey, Claire," he smiled, "Sit."

He motioned towards the empty chair in front of me, and I went without another word.

"So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be living it up as the new Alpha?" Cam smirked, and I blushed though I would have rolled my eyes at anyone else.

"Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend? Isn't it still the make-up period?"

Cam shook his head.

"I'm on probation."

I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Layne. I'm still friends with Layne, even though she's the enemy now. It didn't matter until you guys all strutted in looking hot and everything. And everyone ditched her for you."

I blushed at being called hot, even though it was sort of indirect.

"You're turn. Why are you out here?"

"Well…" I trailed off, "Um, it's just weird," I pushed a chunk of hair behind my ear, "to be in the spotlight again, to be with Massie again. I got used to being invisible."

Cam hesitated, probably about to tell me that I wasn't invisible but he knew better.

"Gummy feet?" Cam held up a plastic bag, trying to change the subject.

"_Gummy feet_?" I laughed.

"You got me addicted!" he laughed, and I shook my head.

"You know, most guys get drunk when their girl puts them on probation. They don't ditch a party and eat candy."

"Like this?" he smiled as he pulled a mini-bottle of Vodka out of his pocket, and I laughed. He shrugged and put the bottle on the ground.

"But, if I come in late and my mom sees if my breath smells like alcohol, I won't get grounded with this," he held up the candy.

"Give me," I smiled and took a few pieces from the bag.

He chuckled and took a few himself.

"So, what have you been doing for the last two years?" he popped a gummy in his mouth.

"Nothing, and that is precisely the problem, Old Friend," I shook my head as I ate a gummy, "What about you?"

"It's been a blur, to tell you the truth. I feel like I just woke up one morning and all of this happened," Cam shrugged.

"Would have been easier if it had been a blur for me. Better than being tortured with knowing your off track but not knowing how to get back on."

"You're back on track alright," he motioned towards the party that Click was ruling right now, "I don't even know which track I need to be on."

I stared at him, unable to talk.

His phone buzzed, and he picked it up.

"CeCe wants to go. You Click girls are giving her a run for her money, Catty-Claire," Cam smiled as he stood, "Here. She hates if I have candy in front of her."

"Thanks,_ Camera_," I took the bag, and my fingers touched his.

I felt the sparks immediately, and I almost fainted.

He nodded goodbye to me and started walking back to the house, and I stared. I hadn't felt those sparks since we broke up, and I had thought I never would again. Or, if I did, it definitely wouldn't be with Cam.


	10. May The Best Alpha Win

_**Alicia, **_

I pushed my tortoise shell Chanel sunglasses into my purse and looked around the mall.

It was a busy day, as it always was when the stores got their shipment around here. But I noticed that none of the weak minded LBRs who _always _followed trends weren't wearing what they used to.

They weren't carrying heavy Prada bags and wearing tortoise shell sunglasses, which was the CeCe look. They were not sporting a new blonde dye job and red lipstick, which was known as the Olivia look. They weren't wearing Spanish style dresses and adorable sandals.

They were wearing straight hair and hot business suits, which was Massie.

They were sporting a new perm and lose tops with skinny jeans, which was Dylan.

They wore bomber jackets and black shorts with weird colored knee-socks, which was so Layne.

They had the black blazer, which Bay was known for, with graphic v-neck tees underneath, which was Kristen.

They were all munching on Luna bars to be as petite as Claire, and they were dumping their boyfriends because he was nothing compared to the British Hawtie Massie brought with her.

I raised my head up higher and went right down the middle, acting like my outfit of an orange sundress and platform sandals was completely above theirs.

But I had to admit that the Beta inside of me was wanting to run into one of the nearby stores and buy those Opal earrings that Massie made huge, or to get that light blue loose top that Dylan was making popular, or even to get one of those feather extensions like what Layne had made everyone want to buy.

I even had to admit that the Alpha inside me wished I could have thought to buy some of the things I had seen in pictures of the "Click".

Like Kristen's dress. And don't even get me started on how Massie had brought purple back.

As I made my way through the mall, I suddenly noticed that no one was watching me.

I still had those loyal LBRs who had spent years never abandoning me, but they didn't count. I really only liked it when I had those swing voters on my side, and either they were on middle ground or on the side of the enemy. This stung like a band geek declining if I asked him to a dance, it was unacceptable, and I needed it changed.

Without meaning to, I thought back to the party pictures that were all over the internet.

Now, I knew that my old friends were beautiful and could easily transform into perfect if needed, and Layne had that badass feel to her that was like LBR Crack. But had Bay always been so pretty?

And she was _still_ wearing that retro style that I had begged her to stop with. But she made it look good instead of vile. And had her green eyes always been so electric? Had her black hair always been so shiny? Had she always walked with such confidence?

I shook off the thoughts and sped up my walk to DeAndre's where my friends awaited the return from their alpha, but they didn't know how much hell I was about to give them. If they had known, they wouldn't have come.

With only one step into the restaurant, my nerves calmed. There was that feel of being restricted, and there was that bartender who had a crush on me and let me have all the alcohol I wanted. There were those small portion sizes as if to tell people that they did actually need to keep not-eating, no matter what nice relatives say. There was the familiar sound of clanking wine glasses for toasts, and I saw women of about thirty keeping up with their cliques.

I liked it here, especially at our middle table where everyone could see us.

But…they weren't there.

The table in the middle was taken by a business man and his family of a second wife and two teenage daughters who weren't far in age from their step-mother.

I blinked, hoping I was imagining it, but it didn't turn into Olivia and CeCe sitting there.

I turned to the hostess table and quickly scurried over there.

"My shift ends in about ten minutes. Let's meet at TJMaxx. They just got a new shipment, and Allie said that they have that pinstripe mini skirt that Dylan wore!"

I glared at the teenage blonde.

"Excuse me," I said it loudly and as bitchy as I could.

The blonde shut her flip phone and stuffed it into a pocket. She quickly turns around and smiled that "Hostess" smile that I usually liked, but today I wanted to slap that smile off her plain face.

"May I help you?" she tried to hide her annoyance, but I still heard it.

"I especially reserved that table yesterday for this time," I pointed towards the middle table, "So, why is someone else sitting there?"

The girl just shrugged, "It was a mix-up. But you're friends are at another table."

"Mix-up?" I demanded.

"Follow me," the girl avoided that, and I glanced at her name tag so that I could complain about her. I reluctantly followed after her, knowing I had to.

At first, I hoped we'd get somewhere up front. But she kept walking. Then I expected we'd get an acceptable. But she _kept walking_.

And there my two blonde friends sat, at the worst table in the place.

CeCe's blonde hair was held up in a bun, and she looked ashamed to be sitting there. Her lips were a fading burgundy, and she had maybe a drop of Champaign left in her glass. She wore an expensive floral wrap dress to match her lip stick, and she looked happier after she had "hung out" with a guy last night after the party because she was still fighting with Cam. But she wasn't happy necessarily because Cam was staying friends with Layne, no matter how much CeCe whined.

I'm not even sure that Olivia noticed that she was in the absolute worst seat at the restaurant. She held her spine right up, and she had barely gotten into her Appletini, as she knew I wished they would wait to drink with me. Her high waisted pink leopard print skirt went to about her mid-thigh, and her spaghetti-strap tank silk shirt was tucked in. And I felt like I had a sprained ankle just _looking_ at how high her heels were.

The faux-blonde waitress left without another word, and I began mentally drafting my complaint about her.

I took the nearest seat and looked across at the two girls

"What the hell, you guys?"

"Those assholes got here first," CeCe pointed to our table.

"No, last night!" I hissed.

"We didn't stand a chance! You weren't there! And, with Bay on their side knowing all of our tricks to winning Rebecca's Spa Card, it was almost impossible to win."

"I warned you, you should have been prepared!" I whisper-hissed.

"Well, if you hadn't been with Derrick instead of us, this might not have happened!" CeCe quickly countered, not willing to take the blame just yet.

"It's not my fault that my mom is determined to ruin my Social Life."

Neither of them countered, which meant something really bad had happened that they weren't quite ready to tell me yet.

"What _else_ happened?" I groaned and set my head in my hands.

"Rebecca gave Massie a spa card and made a big deal about it," Olivia answered like a child scared of how much her mother would punish her, and she didn't even sip at her Appletini, which meant even her small brain knew that this was bad.

"You're kidding!" I hissed again, hoping I was right. Hoping this was all some dream and that I'd wake up in my room and it would be the begging of the summer again without Massie back. Hoping that Massie would never come back to New York and that she would stay abroad.

"They didn't take ours though. It's just cut in half," CeCe was quick to reassure me, but it didn't make a difference.

I waited for a minute, trying to find a bright side in this mess. But I couldn't really find one for a long time. I mean, yes, the "Click" didn't have the huge amount to spend, but we didn't either. And it only took one night for the Click to take control while it had taken me three long months to train these LBRs to listen to me. Finally, I found something, and I focused on it.

"That means that Rebecca still has some sort of trust in us. It might not be as great as it used to be, but it's still there. We can still grind those Click girls into the dirt," I smiled to myself, imagining how good it would feel to watch their tears as they realize that not even the legendary Massie Block could defeat me.

"You're right!" Olivia clapped happily and started to bounce, and I realized that her IQ had probably gone down at least one point from when I saw her last.

_Note to self, get that geek to tutor Olivia again._

"We need a new plan of action though. Something big," I told them, and they immediately started spouting out ideas.

When Olivia was mid-sentence, my iphone chirped in my purse, and I reached down to get it.

_One New Email!_

I pressed the open button and cringed when I saw the email, TheVoiceOfWestchester, which was really Gossip Girl. It was through this email account that I first found out about Gossip Girl, and I had hired dozens of people to track down who was behind it, but it never worked. I just ended up wasting my credit card limit.

_I've got a proposition for you and the Click. If you want to know more, go to James Park at four today. If you don't come, the Click girls will hear about this deal without you. And you don't want to be left behind, now do you?_

_-GG_

"I think I just got our new plan," I smiled deviously.

_**Kristen,**_

I watched the stores and other such things pass by as Layne's hybrid passed by them. It was a beautiful sunny day with people all on this road driving over to the Hamptons, ready for summer in the sun and expensive shopping after a day of tanning. I almost wished that I could be one of them, the beach seemed so tempting today.

While I was thinking about my ex-boyfriend, who I broke up with because I fell for Dempsey, my cell phone buzzed in my pocket.

_Finally got a day without babysitting my brothers. Want hang out? In desperate need of a soccer game? :D_

I rolled my eyes and held a grudge as I replied.

_Can't_.

I slid my phone back into my pocket and turned off the vibrating so I wouldn't know if he ever did respond, which I prayed he wouldn't. How did he not understand why I hated him? Why did he keep texting me?

It makes me want to reply "Ask Daphne"

"He likes you, you know."

I looked over at Layne, who had been listening to some Punk Rock band during the drive and hadn't said worked one before now.

"Tell that to Daphne."

What did Daphne have that made Dempsey like her? She seemed nothing like the kind of girls he seems to like. She was short and extremely skinny, without any muscle. And her bob was just so…. so… _girly_. He hates girly girls, which is why he didn't like Massie afterall. But he liked _Daphne_?

He needs some sporty girl, who probably plays soccer too. And who loves those little brothers of his at least half as much as he does.

Like… like _me,_ I guess…..

"No one is stupid enough to think that Dempsey doesn't like you."

"What about Dempsey?"

Layne paused, not sure how to respond to that one.

"Dempsey may be dumb enough not to accept it, but he's smart enough to like you," Layne smiled, and I decided to ignore how that sounded like a line out of Lifetime Movie.

"Thanks."

"He just wasn't smart enough to like me."

I smiled to myself and deiced against saying anything since we had made it to Bay's house already, where three cars were already waiting for us. As always, Layne's hybrid seemed like a midget surrounded by professional basketball players compared to the SUVs.

I quickly got out of the car and followed after Layne to the grand front door.

"You're cousin still's not here," Bay complained as soon as we got through the door.

"Ugh!" Layne yelled as she brought out her cell phone and pressed the contact for her cousin Alyssa.

"Everyone's in the study," Bay nodded towards the study, and I smiled thankfully, knowing I didn't want to hear the many choice words Layne would be telling her cousin.

I hurried towards the Study, which wasn't hard because I had worn my favorite pair of Nikes to spy in the woods to make sure Alicia's betas didn't pull anything. Luckily, since I had left my key at home, I didn't have to use a key to the study, which was almost always locked incase CeCe snuck in and found out all of our secrets.

I came in and smiled at the constant sent of vanilla. The study easily calmed my nerves, even when Layne had loud rock blasting through the built-in wall speakers. I didn't know what it was, maybe it was just how it felt like home. My aunt's house was great and everything, but my cousin made it tense there. It was only tense here when we were debating if we should order Chinese or pizza.

"Hey, Kris."

I looked over at all three girls.

Massie was spreading around enough make-up to fill up Sephora on the new vanity that Dylan had bought for when we slept over here or needed to get ready for a party here, but she looked like she had used none of it herself. As always, other than some lipstick, her make-up always made Massie look like she just had perfection, which wouldn't surprise me if it was true.

Massie was really the only one who looked spectacular today, other than of course Layne who never could settle for not looking insanely hot. In fact, it had been the orders of our Alpha that, if we were supposed to spy, we were to were normal clothes, which was something different from what we had been told since the "Click" started.

And, as I stood there, I realized the three of us were wearing just about the same thing.

For Dylan: Jeans (True Religion dark wash), a tee shirt (Briarwood Soccer Team from Josh), a jacket (Red Juicy hoodie), and sneakers (Red Converse)

For Claire: Jeans shorts (Abercrombie distressed), a tee shirt (Old Navy), a jacket (A light blue plaid shirt without the buttons done), and sneakers (a pair of Keds)

For me: Jeans (Light wash Bermuda shorts), a graphic tee, a jacket (Grey hoodie with headphones built in), and sneakers (My lucky Nikes)

"Hey," I came to stand beside the girls.

Before anyone could say anything, Massie's cell phone beeped with a new text message, and she quickly reached over to get it, leaving the assorted eyeliners in the pile of eyeshadow.

While she was reading the text message, I noticed the contact picture in the far left corner.

"Wow, James's is cuter than you said," I smiled as I leaned over to get a better look.

"I can't wait for you guys to meet him," Massie smiled, blushing, and the two other girls quickly rallied around our alpha to see the infamous James we had been hearing about.

I don't think I had ever seen someone like James. He even rivaled Derrington, who I swear was given special attention when God decided how his face would look, but it was in a different way.

James was the kind of guy you fall in love with and marry one day and bare his genetic-lotto-win children. I wasn't sure what Derrington was, but he wasn't that. It was obvious at that moment that those stories Massie told about girls always trying to steal him weren't just over exaggerated. They were the absolute truth, and there were probably more of those tales than Massie cared to tell.

I felt kind of envious at this moment for my Alpha's life. Sure, I wouldn't want to have to go to war with my ex-best friend or have to cross an ocean all the time to see her assorted family, but I did want a guy who loved me like James loved Massie, and who preferably was as hot as James was.

For you see, my alpha had found the real trophy, the thing that showed that you really had won. She had love. Massie loved James, and James loved Massie. She had everything that every girl wanted.

The cell phone in my pocket, where Dempsey had probably sent another sent to, became heavier, and I again tried to think of why Dempsey had chosen Daphne over me.

"Alyssa's here!"

_**Dylan,**_

I put down the comb and reached for the straightening iron, tuning in and out of what Bay instructed Alyssa, or Allie as I was to call her from that moment on.

I had never met Alyssa Candon before, but I knew of her. I knew Layne's brother used to talk about his annoying older cousin, Lyssa, but I only remembered it because I had compared Lyssa's "Older Than You Means Better Than You" attitude to that my sister's, Drew. Just in case someone remembered, like me, a cousin Layne's brother used to talk about, we were supposed to call her Allie instead of how she always called Lyssa by her friends and family.

It was lucky that Alyssa didn't look like Layne at all. Her eyes were a normal brown, and her hair was a dull blonde. Her face was completely beautiful except for a pug_ish_ nose. Allie needed glasses unless she planned on walking into traffic, but she could handle contacts. Allie was one of those girls who looked simply to die for if she applied make-up correctly, but she didn't know how.

When the twenty-year old first got here a while back, she had almost made her cousin want to cry because of how dull she looked. Her blonde hair was in a messy ponytail, and she wore clothes that shocked me considering she was related to Layne. She wore light wash jeans that didn't seem to fit her well, and her tee shirt was from some college she attended. She had come in with a little bit of concealer to cover up a zit on her forehead, but she was without make-up other than that.

Alyssa was a student in some Southern College, and she had once lived in New Jersey. This summer, she was staying with another one of her aunts in New York City, who owned some acting company or something. Alyssa was a journalism major, who was learning the art of dialogue from her Aunt, and she had jumped at the offer Layne made to become the new face of "Gossip Girl" for working experience.

Alyssa going to be the person you thought of when you thought of Gossip Girl. She was going to be the person who holds parties, who does interviews, and stuff like that though it'll still be under wraps who she reports to.

Tomorrow, Bay was going to announce on the site that Allie Candon was the new face of Gossip Girl. She would be the one who did interviews, and she would hold luncheons and such. Bay would also explain in some funny way that the people of Westchester shouldn't get too cocky because Allie is as silent as the grave when it came to saying who was Gossip Girl.

"Remember, only go by Allie, never Lyssa," Layne told Alyssa for the millionth time while I went through her hair one more time. Layne continued while I reached for the bobby pin package. I used all of the tricks I had been taught by the hair and make-up crew who worked for my mom's reality TV show to quickly pull Allie's hair out of her eyes and make a bun in the back, leaving the bottom half of the hair down.

I sprayed the hairspray, making Claire cough, and I pressed off on the straightening iron before heading back to the rack of clothes that we all had pulled together after learning Alyssa's size. Unluckily, Allie hadn't had time to go to the personal shopper Massie set up for her to pick out some clothes. So, we had to search around to find things that would look good on her.

"And remember, if anything happens, I'll be will you via Bluetooth. And after the meeting, we'll be waiting for you in the back, ready to drive you away."

I looked through the dresses and brought out a dress that Massie had brought, I think she said it was from her friend Wyatt and didn't fit her well. Since she was a little less curvy and endowed as Massie, I knew it would do well with Alyssa, and I gave it the once over to decide which pair of shoes would go with it.

The dress was a navy blue with spaghetti straps, which meant I should pick up the blue blazer with white trim that Claire brought, and it had ruffles at the bottom that got thicker and thicker as you went down. The only thing that could be the issue would be the corset built into the dress. On Massie, the dress ended a little high up, but I knew it would go just above Alyssa's knees, where it was supposed to be. I quickly picked up the leather ankle boots Layne brought, and I carried all three things back.

"I'm done!" Massie smiled proudly as she put away a mascara wand, and I had to admit that she did well. It was clear that Allie would rival the two Alphas she was meeting in the woods today.

I handed Allie the dress and silently prayed that she could handle the pure evil that Alicia had gained in the last few years.

_**Claire,**_

I looked through the brush, waiting for the sight of Alicia's BMW.

"Where the hell is she?" Kristen complained as she sat down on the hood of my Camri, and Massie continued to use the side view mirror to reapply her lip gloss. Everyone else, except for Dylan who was forced to drive home for the final shots of her sister's big revealing of being pregnant episode, was waiting in Bay's Range Rover towards the back. But, somehow, Kristen and I had gotten stuck watching the two Betas, CeCe and Olivia, in case they did something.

Well that and Bay wants some gossip for GG.

"Wait, I think I see it."

Everyone huddled around where I was, and it was clear that I was right when the black BMW came down the crossroad to this park, which no one ever did. James Park was good for really only one thing, weddings. Other than that, no one ever came here. It was just another park and it was too far away from the stores or the houses. There had never been a reason to come unless you were meeting your blackmailer or drug dealer.

The black BMW X5 pulled into the parking lot, and the slight hum of "Hold It Against Me" disappeared once the engine halted. It took a few moments, but three girls finally got out of the car. That was when we noticed something, and we all knew what Alicia was doing.

CeCe was dressed in jeans and a ponytail, which showed that she actually wasn't all that hot without the couture, but Olivia was dressed as she always was. I knew immediately that the studded leather jacket that hung over her black mini dress was something that Layne had newly made popular, but I had no clue how Olivia could walk in such high heels.

Olivia was coming with Alicia.

CeCe went off towards the Garden Shed, probably to spy too, but Alicia and Olivia made their slow walk to where the meeting place was inside the park.

Massie mumbled a few choice words that went from PG-13 to R.

"Okay, Kristen," Massie, finally done cursing Alicia in every word possible, began, "You're with me. Allie will make you leave, but you can keep an eye on Olivia after that."

"Got it," Kristen nodded.

"Good luck with Alicia," I told them as they left the huddle and quickly looked at themselves in the mirror.

"Good luck with CeCe," Massie smirked, and I smiled at my Alpha and watched her as she left me to go finish this deal.

I stared ahead, trying to find CeCe again, but I couldn't seem to find the blonde.

And then she came out.

For a moment, I thought it wasn't her. She had her hair down, and she had changed into a mini skirt. Along with that, she had slipped out of her black hoodie and showed off a tank top underneath.

"_What the hell_?" I muttered.

CeCe hurried over to stand infront of the Garden Shed, trying to look hot, and I immediately worried that she was meeting Cam here when I heard another car pull into the rocky parking lot.

But the car that sat beside Alicia's wasn't Cams. His was an electric blue Pruis that Layne had talked him into, and this car was an all-black Camaro with tinted windows. And, when the guy got out, I noticed it definitely wasn't Cam.

Oh my God!

It was Cam's old friend who was like another brother to him. Cam's mom was best friends with Blake's mom, and they had both gotten pregnant at the same time. They had hoped that one would have a little girl so that they could marry each other and make the two women family, but they both had boys. So they settled for them to be friends.

I quickly moved from the brush to a closer cluster of trees so that I could hear what was going on.

"Hey there," CeCe smiled seductively, and Blake smiled the same way.

"What are you doing here? Isn't this place supposed to be abandoned."

"It's only abandoned in the daylight, then the horny kids show up," CeCe played along.

"Really?"

"I should know. I've had a lot of fun around here."

"What about with that guy you're with? Cam, right?"

"Nah," CeCe shook his head, "Too mild mannered."

"Well, I'm not like that," Blake leaned in to kiss CeCe, and I couldn't help but gasp.

They didn't hear me though, and CeCe led Blake into the garden shed.

"Holy. _Crap_!"

_**Massie,**_

Even though Alicia had started to walk way earlier than we had, Kristen and I made it to the table in the middle of the park at about the time Alicia got there.

I had to admit that Dylan and I did a good job with the make-over for Lyssa…er, _Allie._

Allie had never been ugly, but she had never tried to be pretty. That was actually the big reason we decided she should be the face of Gossip Girl. Allie had visited town every year or so, but she hadn't been memorable. And this girl needed a new identity, sort of as the Alpha while "Project Alpha" was going on.

I had to admit, that even from a far, Allie played the part well. She dressed preppy, and the ruffles engulfed the petite little girl. As I got closer and closer, I saw how pretty she was. Allie was exactly the kind of girl I wanted to leave this town to when I left this summer. But she'd be leaving with me, off to some far off college. I didn't know who was taking over this town after I was gone again, and it worried me.

When I got to the small table, made for chess or something, I took the seat to the right of Allie since Alicia had taken the left. Olivia stood behind Alicia, with her arms crossed and her eyes cruel. Olivia's eyes then washed over Kristen, smiling evilly when she noticed how much better Olivia looked better than Kristen.

"Betas leave."

Allie looked around to the two blondes.

"I don't have a problem with them here," Alicia crossed her arms.

"I do. I said Alicia, _not_ Olivia," Allie was sure to put emphasizes when she pronounced the two names, "You, too, Kristen."

I nodded to Kristen, telling her to leave, and Olivia huffed, begging her alpha to let her stay. I knew Kristen would probably be like that if she didn't know what was going on, but I had to admit that it looked look that I was in this seat of power, even though I hoped James would never have to see this side of me.

"Where am I supposed to go?" Olivia whined loudly.

"_I don't care_."

I stared at Allie, trying to figure out if she said that or Bay. Had I chosen the wrong girl?

Had I just brought in another enemy?

"Fine," Olivia huffed, and she tried to speedwalk. But it was a pathetic attempt in those heels. Kristen hurried after her.

Alicia and I both looked at Allie.

"So, who _are_ you?" Alicia finally asked.

"Allie. Allie Candon."

"Allie Candon? I don't think I've ever met you before…. or heard of you for that matter," Alicia looked away and narrowed her eyes, knowing not to be rude to Allie, whoever the hell she was.

"I'm the face of Gossip Girl as of," Allie looked at the chunky blue watch Layne picked out, "two hours ago."

Alicia, nodded trying to see hip enough already of known.

"The Gossip Girl can't show up herself?" Alicia smirked.

"It wouldn't matter if she _did_. You'd still get the same information."

_Considering she's telling her what to say…_

"What information?" Alicia leaned in, reminding me of how she used to do when it was gossip time. It was hard to think that she was the same girl.

Was she?

Had Nina gone off the deep end and killed Alicia, sending a doppelganger in her place?

Allie smiled to herself and reached inside the black tote she had come with, and she brought out two blue folders with "Gossip Girl" in perfect blue cursive. She pushed one to me and the other to Alicia. I had to admit that I was in suspense, wondering what was inside.

I knew the plan, sort of, but I hadn't seen the folders. I had only seen Layne bring them in a Staples Box, and curiosity had burned at me as I thought of what would be inside. Sure, I had helped come up with this idea from my seat of power at the Board Table, but it had taken form without me.

Alicia and I waited what was probably seconds but felt like years to open the folders so we didn't seem to desperate, and I couldn't say the contents quite made sense to me yet.

I spread around the photos to get a better look.

"What _is_ this?" I finally asked Allie, and she smiled, probably hoping for that question from how long Layne and Bay had mentored her.

"It's a new feature on Gossip Girl," Allie brought her own folder and went to the front page.

She spread them around.

"This a poll on the posts. People judge, who they would choose as their Alpha today and all."

She moved to the next one.

"This is the front advertisement," she pointed to a headliner.

Alicia VS. Massie

Bay had taken a photo of Alicia, which was taken at the first day we met at the pizza shop. Griffon (Go, Bay!) had probably taken the picture because it showed the table, looking perfectly clean, with Alicia on one end and me on the other.

"And this is where it directs to," Allie pointed to the last one.

There were two columns. The first had Alicia's name with "Score" written in bold type. Below, there was a random number. My column was the same, except my name was in Purple while Alicia's was in Orange.

Underneath each, there was a "Learn About the Cliques" link. At the very bottom, there was a new catchphrase. Instead of her usual thing about the people of Westchester and a viewer count, there was a "May the Best Alpha Win…." in a black cursive.

Allie went onto explain the point system to me, but I'd be lying if I said I was really paying attention. It was at this moment that it all set it. I really realized that I was waging a war on a girl who used to be my best friend. This wasn't some story I would tell my UKF (UK Friends) of what I'd be doing if I was back in Westchester. This was happening, and I was risking my friend's future social life in the process.

"…And you get to endorse a new Clique for the next generation at the end of the summer," Allie ended, and I forced my eyes away from the pictures and back to them.

"Looks like, when Alicia says 'Point', it's literal."

I realized after I said it that Alicia probably didn't say that anymore. It was kind of a Betas thing to say, not an Alpha. But it got Alicia to almost laugh, until she remembered that it was _me_, her arch enemy. Her dark eyes met mine, and they were almost nice for a minute before they hardened.

"What happens to the loser?" Alicia looked away to Allie.

"Exile. For a year, they cannot start another uprising."

I looked at Allie with surprise.

Sure, she was allowed to make her own rules, but that was a bit extreme. Sure, we wouldn't be here for a year, but another uprising for us would be fatal. No one would trust us again.

My friends would be losers, with no life here. They could never move back, unless they wanted to be a social outcast. This was it, I risking their future for this. For the first time, I hesitated, and I thought back to my friends.

"I'm in," Alicia nodded, and I waited before I finally caved.

"Me, too."

"Good," Allie smiled as she scooped up the contents of her folder and slid it back into her purse. She quickly stood to leave, "Nice doing business with you."

Without another word, she walked away, and we just watched her. When she finally was out of sight, Alicia and I looked back at each other.

"So you're not trying to gain back your old status, huh?" Alicia's eyes filled with betrayal, and she stood up without another word. And for the first time, she _speedily _marched away.

_**So, after this, there will be more fluff and less serious. But it'll slowly get more serious until the final chapter which you will love.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Dylan,**_

I sat down on the couch while Massie finished a call with James mother, and the other girls impatiently waited. But I spent that time checking up on the Gossip Girl App to see the new scores.

Alicia- 109

Massie-108

I felt my stomach clinch, but I quickly reminded myself of the fact that they were currently in getting ready for some huge dancing thing. And CeCe was racking up pity-points for fighting with Cam, while the only romantic relationship that was helping us was Massie with James though no one had ever really met him.

_I_ hadn't even met him.

"Oh, I love you, too. You are so sweet!" Massie exclaimed into the phone before hanging up, and we all looked up towards the brunette, who had left our group earlier when James's mother called.

She put her phone down on the kitchen countertop to address us.

"Love her to pieces, but she's acting like her son is living in a war zone North Pole," Massie smiled, and we all smiled along though we were impatient to see the new things, new trends we could start and gain some points.

I didn't want there to be an obsession with the point system, but I just can't help it.

If anything, I wasn't obsessed with it for me. I wasn't obsessed with it for my friends either, they could take care of themselves. I was worried for my sisters, who were making a permanent residence here. I was worried for Josh, who was probably going to be humiliated later on. I was even worried for my famous friends, even if we were fighting, because they hadn't faced problems like being despised really.

The rest of us knew how to ignore it all, but they didn't. They had never been put into that place, and they wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Let's get started," Massie smiled as she sat between me and Kristen while Bay had the other file on the floor with Claire and Layne.

Massie's dark purple manicured fingers pulled the binder open, and I couldn't help but "Oooh!" at the sight of the first dress. And it took all of my willpower not to whip out my Amex. Almost immediately, everyone started to talk.

But then the front door swung open.

"I need to get back to Class soon, so have you seen my phone anywhere? I need to get it," a handsome boy went straight from the front door to the bedroom, barely looking at the crowd of girls in the living room.

After a few moments, he slowly came back to the living room, staring at us.

He didn't speak, so Massie stood up quickly and came to stand beside him. She leaned on him, her arm wrapped around his waist.

"James, these are the girls," Massie smiled, and she continued to introduce each girl to him.

I didn't pay attention though. Instead, I stared at him.

I had never seen someone like James. Though I preferred Josh, as I loved him to death, James was enough to make my heart beat until I worried everyone around me could hear it. His black curls were newly cropped and had that polished look. His eyes were a pure blue, purer than I thought possible. He dressed stylishly, though it was just a simple outfit. But he could pull of black pants and a white button-up, and the two sleeves pushed up to his elbows.

He was tall, taller than Massie by two inches at least. He was fit but not too buff. And, as he bid everyone a hello, his accent was adorable.

"I'm James."

We all nodded in unison, though we hadn't meant to.

We just couldn't help staring.

"James, I think I saw your cell phone in the bedroom," Massie nodded towards a door, and he smiled.

"Thanks," he kissed the side of her head and went back to their room.

The five of us stared at Massie, all thinking the same thing.

"So all that stuff? About James? Was it true?" Claire was the first to speak up.

Massie nodded, and we all continued to stare.

"You're great, Mass, and everything, but how did you get him? He's like a freakin' god!"

"Maybe even cuter than Derrington."

Which is almost impossible to do, I might add.

"Mistletoe," Massie smiled, almost blushing.

_**Kristen,**_

"Why can't I find a girl who doesn't laugh when I say I like Pixar Movies?" Griffon complained through the Bluetooth, and I bit my lip not to laugh.

I continued to push myself as I jogged through the park. It was a perfect day for a game of soccer, but I only knew one person who would play with me. And I wasn't calling him now, if _ever_ again.

"You told Krista that you liked Pixar?"

Todd had put Griffon on a blind date last night, and I knew it wouldn't go well. For one, I knew the girl, and she was like Olivia. Amazingly beautiful and amazingly stupid. If anything, I was surprised that _she _didn't watch Pixar Movies since she acted like she had the IQ of a seven year old.

Knowing all this was really the only reason I let this blind date go through. Griffon liked smart girls, which is why we went out for a short time, and going out with a dumb girl would push him back to smart girls.

You might be thinking, who is this smart girl I'm trying to get him with?

Bay.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was head over heels for him. And I think Griffon liked her, too, he just didn't realize it yet.

"Yes, yes, I did."

"You're just like Bay, you know."

"Bay?"

"Oh, you know, Bay Peterson. That girl who works at SAKS with Massie."

"No, I know her, Kristen. We went to camp together. I meant, how am I _like_ her?"

"Oh that," I smiled at the fact he remembered her, "It's just weird. You write, she writes. You love Pixar, she could watch those kinds of movies for days on end. And you both seem to complain about the same things."

Griffon paused, thinking it over.

"We do?"

"Oh yeah, I mean when it comes to dating, you know. Like people are too clingy or too distant, stuff like that," I continued on as I reached the end of the jogging part of this park.

"Really…" Griffon seemed a little out of it as he responded, too busy thinking about it to really respond. I smiled at that, it was a big step in this process of getting them together. They were just so stubborn. And Bay wasn't making it any easier to get her with the guy of her dreams. It be easier to get Dempsey to explain why he had been such an ass.

"Really, really," I nodded as I pulled to a stop and started to stretch my legs, which were aching by now.

Griffon didn't speak for a long time, and I couldn't tell if that was bad or good.

"I gotta go, Griffon."

"Bye," he absent-mindedly hung up the phone, and I slipped my bluetooth headset off my ear and pushed it in my short pocket with my phone.

I was taking my hair out of a ponytail and putting it back in when I heard some cheers.

I curiously headed to the middle of the park, where it was coming from.

I couldn't help but smile.

It was a kids soccer game, the same field I used to play in. It was a game for boys teams, the Thunderheads and Wolves. The kids were about six, probably younger, but I couldn't really tell. And the parents continued to scream, making the parents more interesting than actually watching the game.

I remembered my time in one of those soccer teams. My mom wasn't really into soccer yet, she was into cheering for her little girl. She didn't make all of my games, nor did my father, but I never cared. I just loved playing soccer. Back then, I was in it for the game, not for the career. Those were the good days, back when soccer was for fun not profit.

I crept into the closest bleachers, and took a seat towards the edge.

As soon as I got comfortable in the bleachers and looked towards the game, a boy from the Wolves scored a point.

I clapped, though I hadn't taken a side, and yelled out a cheer for the Wolves, since I seemed to be sitting with the Wolves Parents.

"Go Theo!"

I stopped mid-clap and felt my heart drop to my feet. I knew I needed to get out of there, get to my car and drive away. But I was paralyzed to sit there, waiting for my impending doom.

_Maybe he won't notice me…._

Then the cheering behind me stopped, the boy even stopped calling out praises for his little brother. And I knew immediately that he knew I was there.

As if on cue, someone came down a level to sit beside me, and I couldn't help but look at him though I didn't want to.

His eyes were the same velvety brown as his perfectly cropped hair. His tee shirt had "Wolf Pack" printed on it with a wolf howling at the moon, probably for his little brothers. Other than that, his outfit was typical him, consisting of Nikes and workout shorts with a rubber bracelet for some disease. His tanned had darkened since I had list seen him, as I had been avoiding him for a while now.

"Your brothers?" I finally asked, barely able to speak out of shock.

"Yeah," Dempsey smiled, "Theo and Tommy love soccer. They can't stand it when I'm not here for a game, they say I'm their good luck charm."

I wanted to smile and say being here for his brothers was so sweet, but I couldn't manage the strength and I was too angry. So, I just nodded, letting an awkward silence seep into the fresh summer air.

Finally, Dempsey spoke.

"It's been a while since I've seen you.

I simply nodded again, and he hesitated before he continued.

"You're avoiding me, aren't you?"

I looked at him, and the look in my eyes told him that he was right.

I wanted to give him that speech I had waiting in my head. I wanted to tell him about how much I liked him, how much I thought he liked me. I wanted to explain how pissed I was about Daphne, about the way he didn't even give me a friendly warning that he was bringing her. But I couldn't.

"I probably deserved it."

_Big time._

After a long silence, he spoke up again.

"We can try being friends though. Westchester was better with you, I wasn't the only one who didn't fit in."

What he means is _just_ _friends_, what do I bet you?

"Sure, Dempsey."

_**Massie,**_

I impatiently tapped on my purple-diamond incrusted iPad, and I looked towards my watch.

He was late by twenty minutes, and I was going to be late for lunch with James.

I finally gave up and went up the desk of the country club and smiled pleasantly at the woman, though I was really about to scream.

"How may I help you?" she smiled motherly.

"I was just wondering if it's possible to see if my friend, Derrick Harrington, has checked out from the Golf Course yet."

"Oh, Derrick!" she laughed, "He is terribly good at golf, undoubtedly finished by now. But, let me guess, he has an important date with you."

"Not a date, per say, but important."

"Then he'll be at the pool, always is."

"Thanks," I pulled off a sweet smile though I was thinking of ways I'd kill Derrington.

_Gutting him like a fish would be too gory._

_Shooting him would be too easy…_

I continued on out through the door of the building and towards the pool, where teenagers crowded around. I was lucky today that the teenage girls were crowding around Skye Hamilton, who had been my best friend/ enemy when she spent her summer working in Ballet in London, making her spend the time at our castle so that her parents wouldn't be worried about her.

We got along great, even landing me a UK Teen Vogue interview with her on New York Cliques, which got me a future offer to work with Vogue after college. I loved her for that, and she loved all the hawt guy friends I had. But, when she spent her last two weeks of that summer trying to steal James, I was happy to see her go. We never got in a fight about it, but we had lost touch since.

I waved at Skye, and she waved back, mouthing "Love the outfit!" but we didn't stop to talk.

I kept going to stand by the pool, where it was oh so obvious why I was there.

"Derrick."

He looked up from the water, and he winced.

He swam to the ladder and continued to drop the F-Bomb at least ten times while climbing it.

"Hey, you look great," Derrick smiled that womanizing smile, the same one that still made me blush a little, and he motioned towards a table. I hesitantly followed him, constantly reminding myself that I needed to meet with James soon and that I barely seen James as it is, much less missing lunch.

I had to admit though that I was a bit flattered about the compliment.

It was a hot summer day, especially since I had spent the last four years in cold Britain. I made an effort to look even hotter than the extreme temperature, and I wasn't so sure I succeeded. I wore a pale blue button-up with matching nail polish, quick dry so it wasn't as smooth as I had wished, and I used a few chunky bangles (A goodbye present from Strawberry) and my old charm bracelet on the other hand to distract from that. As I did whenever I got the opportunity, I wore the many long necklaces that James had given me, making sure that the pendant with '_MB and JW' _was clearly visible. And my tan looked great in my distressed jean shorts, and my matching blue toenails were visible in the gladiator sandals.

I took a seat across from him and set my iPad down, ready to get to work.

It had been Kristen's idea to have a benefit soccer game for Breast Cancer, and I had readily agreed. Of course, I wouldn't be playing, but I was in love with the idea. We had almost all the players, too. We had rallied the stars of the girls soccer teams, with promises of hot and couture soccer uniforms, and the stars of the boys teams, with promises that they could see the girls in the uniforms.

I had almost everything planned from the field to the concessions and cute outfits for the concession clerks, which happened to be the rest of the Clique, but I needed the last few things from Derrick. Like the members of the boys team and what sizes they all were, because of course they needed their soccer uniforms too.

"Can we get two Mojitos?" Dempsey called out to a handsome cabana boy, and he scurried off before I could object.

"Uh-uh. Work, Harrington," I pointed towards the purple iPad.

"Relax, Block. You said it yourself on the phone, everything is put together."

"_Almost_. _Almost _everything is put together."

"Big difference."

"It _is_ a big difference, Derrington."

"Better than nothing, Sweet Heart," he patted my hand, and I really blushed that time, so much so that I couldn't get mad for him calling me Sweet Heart.

"Two Mojitos," the cabana boy quickly returned with the two drinks, "Anything else?"

"We're good."

"So, I'll be putting this on the Harrington account?"

"Always."

The cabana boy left, and I looked across at the boy Alpha.

I quickly began to work so that I wouldn't start blushing.

I loved James and everything, but he was so cute. No, he was _gorgeous_, like a _god_. From his amazing sense of style to his confidence, he was basically perfect. Even though everyone in a sixty mile radius knew that Derrick was a player, no one cared. Those deep brown eyes changed everything, and, when he left those girls in the dust, it seemed that we just couldn't blame him. We had known what we were getting into, but it seemed so far away.

"Mass," Derrington cut me off.

"What?"

"It's called breathing. Take a breath. You won't die if you slow down."

"I don't want to be late."

"John will be fine-"

"James."

"-if you're a little late," Derrington took no notice of me correcting him.

I sighed and purposely read at a snail's pace to piss Derrington off. After a while, I returned to my normal speed and managed to stop obsessing over the time.

Finally, I noticed Derrington had his arms crossed and was no longer typing away on his tablet, which had been in his bag waiting for us.

"What now?" I moaned, thinking of how mad James was going to be.

"You're not drinking."

"What?"

"Drink and I'll work."

I stared at him for a long time, just daring him to back down, but he didn't budge.

After a long time, I saw that this was going nowhere and picked up the mojito, and I took a sip.

Derrington smiled and started to spout off things that he had been working on.

I listened and wanted to be mad at him. I wanted to be thinking of how I was going to kill him, of how I would complain to James. But I was thinking about the way the sun reflected of his blonde hair, making it look like pure gold. About how his brown eyes reminded me of M&M's, my favorite chocolate candy.

Damn it.

He's so hot, I can't even be mad.

I took out my cell phone while Derrington was deep in thought and wrote off a quick message to James before pushing the phone back into my bag.

_Going to be a little late. Go ahead and get us a table and some drinks._

_-Mass_

_**Alicia,**_

I looked through my new clothes, in desperate attempts to find something for the upcoming Soccer Game.

Since the Click was going to be working, it would be a perfect time for me to show off some killer clothes, and I needed a new trend right now due to falling points. Planning a Charity Soccer Game was like LBR crack, and they just couldn't get enough of it.

"So, how do I look in yellow?" I asked my boyfriend through the phone.

Even if I am behind in points, I wouldn't trade Brandon for all the points in the world. Aside from the fact that _everyone_ loved us as a couple, I _actually_ loved _him_. I hadn't felt this is so long that I wasn't quite sure how to handle it, but I was happy to make a change for it. And, unlike my relationship with Josh, I had just about_ everything_ in common with Brandon, and he _understood_ why I needed to keep up my image.

I was walking on Alpha Heaven here!

"No one looks good in yellow," he answered, almost laughing, and I made a mental note to get rid of everything yellow in my closet. Just to make sure I didn't forget, I shoved the lemon-colored dress I had just bought into the Goodwill donations box.

"Then no yellow for tonight. I am so excited though!" I smiled.

I hadn't had a date with Brandon in so long that I had almost forgot we were together. I understand that we're both busy, him with sports and me with these LBRs. But this was verging on ridiculous.

"About tonight," Brandon began, and I groaned.

"Are you canceling? _Again?_"

"Sorry, but I have practice tonight."

Practice.

I began to regret giving him my permission to join the Goals for Dollars that Massie had put together. At the time, I thought it would be worse if we _weren't_ there, but it was ruining my date nights and leaving me alone to watch TV like a loser. And I couldn't tell Olivia or CeCe about being alone, so I had to make up all these lies about what great dates we have and how I've decided to not leak them to gossip girl because it's too personal.

"Fine," I told him as I threw the dress I had planned on wearing back into my closet.

"You're not too upset?"

Hell yeah I'm upset.

"I'm fine, Brandon," I lied.

"Good," he told me, probably smiling.

"When do you have to go to Practice?" I asked, praying that it wasn't too soon.

Before he could tell me, I heard the faint voice of his mother calling out to tell him that someone was there to see him.

"Coming, Mom!" he yelled back before turning his attention back to the phone.

"Who's there?"

"A soccer friend, I think. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," I hung up the phone and threw it to the pile of pillows in up to the corner.

That's when my email pinged.

I groaned but got up to get it anyway.

_New Message from Derrington!_

I considered pressing ignore on my Mac but pressed accept anyway.

_Hey, I have time to help you study. If you have time, we can do it now instead of tomorrow._

_-Derrick_

I stared at the computer screen for a long time.

He was supposed to be the star in the Boys vs. Girls game for Charity, which means he should definitely be at practice.

_And skip practice?_

_-Alicia_

I pressed send, ignoring the anger I felt for him.

_What practice? We don't have that until tomorrow. Why?_

_-Derrick_

No practice.

Then why did Brandon tell me that he _did_ have practice?

I stared at the computer for a long time before knowing what I had to do, and just the idea of it made me want to throw up.

_Never mind. I'm free for studying. Come on over._

_-Alicia_

_**Claire,**_

I looked at myself in the car mirror before deciding to go in the store.

My blonde hair had been curled and the bangs that always fell in my eyes had been braided of out my eyes. Curtsey of a TJ Maxx sale, I had a new blue and pink Lilly dress and a Chloe purse that Massie was done with. I had light make-up but dark lips, and I was trying to find middle ground of "I'm sweet, so you can trust me" and being hot.

I thought about what I planned on doing.

Since I had bonded with Cam, I had s seen how much I wanted Cam back, how much I missed that goofy grin of his.

And I was ready to tell him.

I got out of the car and hesitantly made my way to _Notes for Life_. I knew that Cam worked here on Fridays, and I didn't want to have to wait until Monday, when I would next see him, to tell him how I felt.

Anna glared at me as I came through the door, and I tried to ignore it. But it hit home.

Anna had been my best friend for years, and she wasn't ready to take the Click coming together. I was perfectly fine with being friends with Anna _and_ Massie, but Anna didn't feel the same way. It was her or Massie, and I had sort of chosen Massie.

I hadn't told Anna that or anything, but it was obvious.

_The Click_ had changed my perspective on everything. Now that I had friends like that, I didn't really want to hang around Anna or Tara anymore. They just seemed immature and ridiculous these days, and they could see how I felt. I didn't want to hurt them, but it was too late for that.

I hurried to the music racks, where Cam was reorganizing.

"Cam," I tried to mask my sickened feeling from seeing Anna glare at me.

"Hey, Claire. What are you doing here?" Cam abandoned the One Direction CDs, which were selling amazingly now.

"I just came to see you," I told him, and I heard Anna laugh a little bit.

"Great you did, I wanted to show you this. Derrick found it in his room yesterday," Cam smiled as he went to the cash register, where I didn't follow of course, and brought back a CD.

It was old, but I could tell the cover anywhere.

"Gummi Claire," I laughed.

"Can you believe this thing is still around?" Cam laughed, and I couldn't help but savor it.

I loved when he laughed.

"You really liked me then, huh?"

"Yeah, I did," Cam smiled as he remembered old times brought back by this CD, and I took my leap of faith.

"Do you like me that much now?"

Cam looked up, confusion written all over his pretty face.

"What?"

I hesitated, not getting the reaction I wanted.

What if he _didn't_ like me? What if CeCe still held his heart? Or what if I was just a memory, just a friend forever?

The possibilities filled my head, and I didn't like any of them.

"Do you…" I closed my eyes, wishing for the courage I had when I came in, "like me that much _now_?"

Cam stared at me for a long moment before taking my wrist and pulling me behind a CD rack, where Anna couldn't see me. And I only had two possibilities for what was about to happen.

Either he was going to save me the embarrassment in front of Anna as he told me no, or he was going to hide kissing me because Anna knew he was with CeCe.

And the look in his eyes told me which one.

"You know I'm with CeCe."

"But you always say you're not happy!"

"But I'm still _with _her!"

"But you _hate_ her!"

"That doesn't matter! I'm not going to cheat on her, okay?"

"You didn't even answer my question!

"And I'm not going to! Why would you ask me that anyway? You know I have a girlfriend!"

"And I know that you're not happy with her! And that I really still like you!"

"Stop it, I'm not even going to think of cheating on CeCe."

"Why not? She's cheating on _you_! With _Blake_!" my voice broke the constant whisper-yelling and became a real yell.

I regretted it as soon as I said it, but there was no going back.

"What are you talking about?"

I couldn't speak, and my tongue turned to taste like pennies.

Without saying anything else, I ran out of the store and to my car. The only thing I could think to do was to drive away.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Alicia,**_

I looked at myself in the mirror of the state of the art library bathroom.

My deep tan skin was offset by my mid-thigh pencil skirt, with a loose purple shirt tucked in. I had fought my instincts and left my new jade necklace from Brandon to wear a new ruby necklace from my father as a "Hope-You'll-Be-Okay-With-A-New-Little-Sister" present. And I had worn my grey platform sandals, and my long black hair was wrapped in a Katniss-Braid.

"Why did I go all out for _him_?" I mumbled as I began to straighten my skirt and make sure that the shirt wasn't poking out anywhere.

Easy.

I wanted to make Brandon jealous.

He needed to remember that he isn't the only one who I could have.

I shouldered my purse and started to walk out of the girls bathroom and towards the best table in the library.

Table fifteen.

The absolute best.

The sun shone in perfectly. You had peace, and you were close to the books but not too close.

I proudly took my seat, feeling like the queen again.

These little victories were what kept me going on like this still.

Massie, my personal _Chizz _(I looked it up when I heard her mumbling at it to me), was trying to take it all away from me. Well, her and her _Click_. But they couldn't do it alone. They had all been waiting for their alpha for years, and the queen bee had finally come back to her adoring fans.

I couldn't help but worry that I would lose this summer.

What would I do?

This was _everything_ to me.

Or at least for now.

And then the god entered.

…Derrick Hammington.

His blonde hair shone like gold in the sunlight, and his tan skin was just as aglow as the sun outside. Like the heartthrob in the movies, he was taking off his aviator sunglasses and ruffling his hair as he walked in. And it felt like he was walking in slow motion, though I knew it was just the world slowing down around him.

He wore what he usually did.

Tee shirt, with "Miami Beach 2010" printed in bulk letters.

Board shoats, navy blue today.

Sunglasses, aviators instead of his usual Raybands.

And a pair of expensive sneakers.

Derrington smiled at me, and I forced myself to look annoyed instead of "_Hmm_" like I wanted to.

"Hello, Alicia," he took a seat beside me, "Miss me?"

He flexed his muscles, and I tried to seem disgusted.

"Miss is a strong word," I opened a book.

"Please take a drink," he held out a tin water bottle, "And loosen up, ya stuck up bitch."

I narrowed my eyes but took the water bottle.

_**XXXXX**_

"I'm fine, Derrington," I lied as I unlocked my car.

I knew how dangerous drunk driving was, with a DUI in the past (though my dad had it removed).

But I didn't want to admit that I was wrong.

"No, you're not," he took my keys from me as he shook the empty tin bottle, "You haven't eaten today, have you?"

I hesitated.

"Not _yet_?"

Derrick shook his head and pulled himself into the BMW.

"Let's go get you some food. You should wear it off by then," he cranked up the engine, and I continued to stare up at him.

"Why can't you just drop me off at home?" I crossed my arms.

"You're too skinny. We're getting you food."

"Too skinny?"

"You're what a size two?"

"Three."

"And you're a dancer. You're going to kill yourself if you don't eat something at least."

"I eat!"

"Then you won't mind eating with me," Derrington smiled.

I threw my hands up in exasperation as I came to sit in the passenger seat.

Derrington pulled the car to a stop as he leaned out the window to click his vintage Jaguar, and I suddenly felt him become even hotter.

I pushed on the air conditioning and pressed play on the latest hit, telling him to not speak as we drove.

"Why do you always do this?" Derrington kept his eyes on the road.

"What?"

"Act like your better than me when we've always been the same."

"We're nothing alike."

"We are both commitment-phob alphas."

"What about me and Brandon? You call that being a commitment phob?"

"It has been almost a year since Josh dumped you for Dylan. Brandon is the first 'serious' relationship since," Derrington kept driving on.

"Who was your last serious relationship with?"

Derrington's jaw tightened, and I could suddenly see it all.

Back like a drunken memory I had suppressed.

Miami.

Getting into a special offer to go to a school to finish our last semester our junior year of going around the coast. I had been hesitant to go, but my betas had reassured me that everything would be fine. So, I packed my expensive luggage and boarded my first class flight to Miami.

We got a week there. Josh and I had broken up while I was gone, but I was expecting spending my days earning a killer tan than finding someone. And I did so, but I was getting closer and closer to Derrington along the way. And then, finally, it happened.

The day before we were supposed to get on the boat came flooding back to me.

The elevator. His arms wrapping around my waist. That buzz as our lips met. Barely able to part with him long enough to open my hotel door. Dragging him to the bed.

And the two months following that, waking up with a new hicky almost every morning.

…and then basically ditching him as soon as we got home.

"You."

He gripped onto steering wheel and sped up as he drove to _Slice of Heaven_.

_**Dylan,**_

"You look hot, Dyl," Massie smiled approvingly, and I spun around happily.

It was my _Goals for Dollars_ uniform.

The navy blue base matched the boy's uniform color, which Massie had especially ordered, and the hot pink heart with _We're All In This Together_ printed in silver script matched the girl's uniforms. It was made like a flattering jersey, with Dylan Marvil printed on the back like I was a player. And the short mini skirt made my legs look longer. My navy and pink knee socks had the same saying, _We're In This Together_, engraved on the top stripe, and my cleats had my name in silver cursive.

But I didn't feel "hot" compared to Massie.

As alpha, it was natural that she looked best.

Her long brown hair fell around her perfectly without any styling needed, and she wore a non-permanent navy streak in her hair. Her dress was the same, only with the colors reversed. And she wore a number one underneath her name on the jersey.

"Where are the assignments?" Massie handed me her tablet.

_Claire- Candy Station_

_Bay- Ticket Sales_

_Layne and Dylan- Drinks_

_Massie- Roam_

"Roam?" I asked as I handed it back.

"I'll go wherever you guys need some help," Massie explained as she put her tablet in her bag underneath the table.

"Hey, guys."

_Claire_.

She hadn't been so great since Cam had vowed not even to answer her after she told him that she was still in love with him, and she had stayed far away from anywhere he could be so her humiliation wouldn't be doubled. In fact, we had all cut him off, except for Layne but she never talked about him anymore. The only thing that I had even heard about him was that those bruises that covered Blake_ weren't_ hickies.

Claire looked great in the uniforms, and Massie had spent forever making sure that it worked for everyone, which was a complete miracle considering how different we all are.

"I'm at the candy station, right?" Claire asked as she tugged at her side braid.

"The candy just got delivered," Massie nodded, and Claire smiled as she leaned down to fix her knee socks.

"Great," Claire's smile widened as she realized that she wouldn't be seeing Cam if she spent all of her time at the candy station since he was in the game.

"Who do you think will win?" Claire asked, and I shrugged.

It was Boys VS. Girls, but it was really Skin Cancer VS. Breast Cancer.

If the girls won, the money went to breast cancer research. And, if the boys won, it went to skin cancer research.

"I'd say the boys, but Kristen can definitely kick some ass," Massie smiled.

As if on cue of her talking about that, the players started arriving and heading towards Bay at the ticket sales.

"Come on, let's go help," Massie started walking towards to the ticket station, her hips swaying almost to the rhythm of _In the Dark_.

Claire and I hurried after her, but she managed to the overwhelmed Bay before we could even get half-way.

"Attention!" Massie's commanding voice dominated the crowds, "Girls, you sign in with Bay and meet Kristen! Boys, you sign in with me and meet Derrick!"

Order quickly came, and the two lines formed.

Claire purposely took a spot with Bay in a place where she couldn't take the chance of seeing Cam, and I began to help out Massie.

"Hey, Mass," someone whispered.

"James, you're out of class! I thought you couldn't come," Massie smiled as she turned around to kiss her boyfriend, and I moved around to handle signing in the boys.

"Couldn't miss this," James kissed the top of her head, and her smile spread to be about a mile wide.

"You play soccer?" the guy I was checking in, Noel I think, nodded towards James.

"Rugby. But I used to play soccer when I was younger."

"You wanna play?" Bay turned around from the line of girls, who were all staring at James with their mouths forming an 'O'.

"Oh, no, I couldn't."

"We have an extra spot in the game if you want in," Bay smiled, trying not to blush.

"Come on, John! We'll have so much fun," Derrington smirked, and James smiled with his eyes narrowed.

"I'm in, Devin."

Derrington narrowed his eyes.

_**Kristen,**_

I basically inhaled my Gatorade as I watched the game continue.

I had known this would be hard.

But, with James adding to their list of all stars, it was all we could do to keep it even. I had stayed in the game as long as I could, but it was either keep playing or stop myself from passing out on the field.

Mentally, I was looking through the Gossip Girl report on losing this game.

How would people react?

Oh crap…how would my mom react if she found out?

"Yo, Kris!" someone whisper-yelled, and I wiped the strawberry Gatorade off my chin and turned back to the bleachers, where Griffon was motioning for me to come talk to him.

"_Yo, Kris?"_

"Listen, Bay is about to come back from checking on things back there," he pointed towards the concession stands, "And I really want to talk to her. Can you go pick me up some popcorn? Please, I'm begging you, Kristen."

"She's coming back?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, uh, yeah," Griffon fiddled with his baseball cap, "We were talking about writing camp from last summer."

"So, if she had to go check on things, how long has she been here?"

"Um, a…" Griffon blushed again, "Yeah, if you can't get in the game, can you please go get some popcorn?"

"Sure," I nodded and started towards the concession stands.

_One step closer to getting them together!_

I was thinking of my next plan to get them together when I made my way to where Layne and Dylan were working their little asses off.

"Hey, Dyl," I smiled as I came to stand in front of the table.

"Best workout ever!" she pointed towards the group of girls who were on the 'Liquids-Only-Diet' that Dylan had tried all those years ago.

"Can I get some popcorn?"

"Popcorn? Now?"

"It's for Bay and Griffon."

"Really?" Dylan smiled, and I nodded.

"Coming right up," Dylan went right into making the popcorn, leaving me at the table.

"Hey, Layne, can I get a coke? This water tastes like crap."

"Sure, Dempsey."

I froze.

Run or talk?

I ran my hand through my blonde hair, which I found was covered in my sweat, and I groaned before turning to look at Dempsey.

Even covered in sweat and tired, he looked like god. His dark brown hair was sticking to his face, but it always looked perfect. His dark tan caused a great contrast to his navy soccer uniform. His mouth formed a friendly smile, and, as he brought his shirt up to wipe his face, I got a glimpse of his perfectly sculpted abs.

"I thought you were still in the game, Kris," Dempsey smiled as he noticed me.

"They forced me out," I nodded, forcing myself not to smile too much at him.

There was always Daphne.

"Then we just might have a chance," Dempsey smiled.

"Shut up," I playfully pushed him, and I avoided the way Layne seemed to be mentally trying to remind me of what I had felt when I had seen Dempsey with Daphne, not that I could forget it anyway.

I wanted to though. We were friends now, and, to be friends, I've got to get rid of my feelings for him (Romantic or Angry). And, to get rid of those feelings, I've got to get rid of those memories with Dempsey.

"One coke. All players are on the house," Layne handed Dempsey the drinl.

"Thanks," Dempsey nodded as he sipped as his coke and started walking towards me.

"And your popcorn," Dylan handed me the large bucket, and I thanked her as I started to slowly walk back to the game with Dempsey.

"So, you going to the after party at Derrick's?"

"Uh, I guess. Are you?"

Dempsey nodded as he ruffled his hair, and I knew he was about to say something. But then he stopped himself.

"Uh, are you taking Daphne?"

"Daphne?" Dempsey rubbed his neck, "…I'm not taking her."

I was about to respond to that when I got to the bleachers.

"I better give Griffon his popcorn."

"Griffon?"

His jaw tightened.

"You should probably get to him," he quickly started walking towards the boy's team, leaving me to stand there like an idiot.

What was it with him and Griffon?

"Hey, Kristen," Bay broke me out of my fog, and I started walking over to them.

"Here's some popcorn, you guys."

_**Massie,**_

As I wriggled into my party dress, I noticed a new bruise on my neck.

I cursed under my breath and leaned down in my bag to find some concealer.

As I spread the make-up over the hicky, I looked at my reflection.

My brown curls were held off to one side, cascading down my back with a diamond red carnation pin. My red spaghetti-strap dress was the same sort of beautiful shine as the diamond pin. As a gift for, as he put it, "being madly and forever in love with me", James had given me a simple ruby set that I absolutely adored and couldn't help but wear tonight.

I fixed the cuff on my bracelet and made sure that the dangling ruby earrings wouldn't slip off my ear during the party.

As I clipped the straps of my red high heels, I forced my bag into the bathroom closet.

"Here goes nothing," I mumbled as I opened the bathroom door and started to run down the stairs, where the party was raging on.

"Massie?"

I smiled as I turned around to see James.

"Hey, James," I smiled as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Why is it that I have to win a charity soccer game just to finally spend time with you?" he pushed some hair out of my eyes.

"We're just in a…_busy stage_ right now. I promise that soon we'll be spending so much time together that you can barely stand me."

"That's a deal," he leaned down to kiss me.

"Massie! I need your help over here!"

James stopped, just two centimeters away from my lips, and I groaned.

"One hour. We are going home in an hour. Turning off the phone and the intercom. And locking the door," I wriggled out of his grasp, and I headed towards Derrington.

Derrington, still wearing his soccer jersey, smiled at me.

"I can't get this blender to work," he pointed towards it.

I climbed over the fence to the bar, and I plugged the small machine in.

"Thanks, Mass."

I picked up a lime and threw it at him.

"Ow!"

I threw a handful of peanuts at him.

"What the hell?"

"What is your problem?"

"Says the girl throwing food at me!"

I picked up a shot of tequila.

"Woah, no, bad Massie," he raised his hands in surrender, "Put the drink _down._"

I aimed to throw the drink, so he knew what to do.

He grabbed my wrist, and his skin against mine almost made me drop the drink.

After a few seconds, I regained my focus and playfully pushed him.

"Oh shut up. You should be thanking me. You have to socialize with your guests," he motioned towards the party, "Not make-out with your boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes and tried not to see the logic in what he said.

"It's not _my_ party."

"Hell it's not," Derrington laughed as he began to mix a drink.

"Dylan's house."

"Your beta."

"My friend.

"Slash beta."

I climbed back over the fence, and I pulled myself onto the barstool.

"Have you heard from Cam?" I nibbled on a random bowl of pretzels.

"Yeah, he's not taking it well."

"What? CeCe cheating? Or with Blake?"

"All of it. Especially Claire telling him like that."

I nodded, knowing it hadn't been her best move.

"She wasn't going to tell him before."

"But she did," Derrington shrugged as he began to shake the tin shaker.

"Does he…" I trailed off, suddenly worrying that I was crossing a line here.

"I don't know," Derrington smiled as he handed me a martini.

"Thanks."

I coughed after taking a sip.

"What the hell?"

"Triple. So you can have a buzz during the party even though you won't have much time to drink."

"A buzz? One more sip, and I'll fall off the stool," I handed the drink back to him, and he shrugged, downing it for himself.

"Alright, let's go get this party done with," Derrington left the bar and started walking towards the party, making it so that I could barely keep up with him.

Like only a real alpha could, he dominated the party, and I helped him along.

And the party was undoubtedly a hit by the time I was supposed to leave.

"That does it for me. I've got a hot date," I started to walk away from him, but he pulled me back.

"One last dance?"

"But James…" I tried, pointing towards him while he was stuck talking to some LBRs who were in love with him.

"He can wait two more minutes," Derrington pulled me back by my arm and into his grasp as a slow song started to play.

How long had it been since Derrick had held me like this?

Five years at least.

Probably more.

But it felt like he had done it five minutes ago as he pulled me close, and we began to sway. What I thought was weirdest was how I seemed to hit into him. My hand with his hand. My head on his shoulder. My torso with his rock-hard abs.

It was like I was almost made for him.

I had only felt this feeling with one person, James.

But, sometimes, we didn't even seem to be like this.

"Nice to have my little Queen Bee back," he nudged me.

I blushed and looked to the floor.

"Well, one of my little Queen Bee's," Derrington finished.

I looked up.

"You're not the only alpha I'm allowed to fall in love with."

I blushed.

"Who is it? Duh-Livia?"

"You know I could never settle for a beta.'

My eyes widened in understanding, and he raised his pinky.

"Our little secret?"

I laughed as I shook his pinky, and he glanced up at the clock.

"Tell James we still would have won without him," Derrington motioned up to clock, and I forced myself out of his strong arms.

"Maybe in the morning."

He raised his eyebrows in question.

"Shut up," I playfully shoved him, and he nodded towards the alpha I loved so much, telling me to leave already.

I kicked off my sandals, not caring that I left them in Dylan's hallway, and I hurried to the front door, where the LBRs had basically trapped James as they asked him question after question.

"Ready, James?"

The LBRs parted for me, and James smiled at me.

And then he surprised me by coming up and kissing me.

Not just a peck.

Or a little "I love you" kiss.

An actual kiss.

The kind he gives me when we're alone, the kind that leave me smiling like an idiot and weak in the knees.

But I could feel that the kiss wasn't for me.

It was for who was watching.

Derrington.

I knew I should have done something about my boyfriend being jealous, but not right then.

Instead, I just kissed him back.

_**Claire,**_

_Crap_.

I spun around from going towards the bathroom after seeing Cam, and I started to quickly walk anywhere else.

The farthest place I could get away was to the bar outside, where I was about to order a drink when someone spoke up before me.

"Claire?"

I looked over.

Erik.

The male lead in the play, and one of the hottest guys in town.

During the school year, he wore his hair in the natural black that he had been born with. But his hair was navy blue this summer, matching his sapphire eyes. His face was perfect, like a plastic surgeon had helped god when designing what his face would look like when he was older. He has three piercings.

One on the top of his ear.

One on his left eyebrow.

And the one on his bottom lip, though he didn't often wear it.

But he was wearing it tonight, and showing off the tattoo on his chest.

"Erik?" I couldn't help but smile.

Westchester had every kind of guy.

Preppy.

Pretty boy.

Sporty.

Bad boy.

And so many more.

But, to me, Erik was a combination of them all.

Bad boy. Actor. Smart.

And pretty hot.

"Want a scotch?"

I took the glass, and I downed it.

"Damn! High-five!" Erik laughed, holding his hand up, and I high-fived him, feeling the bubbly feeling settle over me.

"Two more," he nodded towards the bartender, who got to work.

"So, I thought you were in the Hawaii for the week off while Logan is in LA."

"Nah, my parents needed some time alone, so I let them have it," Erik thanked the guy as he took the drinks and handed me one.

"You gave up on Hawaii for this?" I laughed as I motioned around to the party.

"And miss the drama with you and Cam," he nudged me.

I blushed to the shade of a tomato.

"How'd you find out?" I wrapped my arm around my waist.

"Blake. I was there when Cam finally got a hold of him. And I could just tell about the other part."

"About me telling him that I loved him..."

"He was an idiot not to love you," he nudged me again.

I blushed even more.

"Wanna dance?" he motioned towards the floor.

"You've obviously never seen me dance, huh?"

Erik began to laugh.

"How about I see next Friday?"

I raised my eyebrows questioningly.

"Are you asking me out, Erik Gomez?"

"I could be."

"Could?"

"Call and find out," he laughed as he handed me a blue napkin, and he climbed off the barstool and started to walk away.

I smiled to myself as I put the napkin in my pocket and started to drink another drink.

But then I looked towards the door.

I froze, paralyzed to sitting there.

Cam.

He stood alone.

No Blake.

No soccer friends.

…No CeCe.

Any other time, I would have been happy about this. I would have smiled and waved him over for dumb small talk.

But not this time.

Sliding my cell phone out, I typed something quickly to Dylan.

_Feeling sick. Call you tomorrow._

_-Gummi Claire'_

I pressed send and got down from the bar stool.

At all cost, I avoided him.

But there happened to be only one door that opened.

"Claire?"

Someone tried to grab my arm.

Who?

I have a pretty good guess.

At the sound of his voice, I called on my few months of track and started to dart through the crowds and towards the car parking lot.

I didn't stop running until I was back inside my Camri, the door locked behind me.

Cam.

I pulled my small frame to move around to hug my knees, taking calm and deep breaths.

Two years.

Two god-awful and painful years.

And I got over it.

Cam was the last thing on my mind.

And then I see him. See him _once_.

Then it all starts up once more.

I'm in love with him again. I give him my heart again. And he gives it right back, as painfully as he can.

How many times will this happen to me.

Will it ever end?

When I'm ninety-nine, will I still be so naive? Still be such an idiot for him? Still love him like I do? Still try to make him love me?

"It's time to move on," I told myself as I cranked the car up and started to drive.


	13. Mates Over Dates

_**Massie,**_

"Massie, what do you think?"

I looked up.

"What?"

"Of the dress," Kristen nodded towards Claire, who was nervously looking at herself in the mirror.

"I think it's too _Helen Homemaker_ for a date with Erik."

Layne made it obvious she was jealous as she put another stick of cinnamon gum in her mouth.

"It's better than the outfit you put together, Layne," Kristen laughed as she held up the two mix-matched knee socks Layne had forced Claire to put on earlier.

"Where are you guys going again?" I asked, trying to snap back into it.

"Space Avengers."

"Wait, isn't that the dorky place where _the guys_ kept going?"

_The guys_ were our old dates.

I began to wonder what had ever happened to them. I had kept in touch with Landon, even coming to see him last spring break in California, where he was in school. But I hadn't seen my exes other than Derrington since. Nor had I seen my friends', except for of the highlights that it was impossible to miss.

_Speak of the devil_.

My droid buzzed, and I hid it in my Coach purse before anyone could notice it.

Derrington.

"Not any more. It's actually pretty awesome. Great place for a first date," Dylan hip-bumped Claire, who blushed at the words _first date._

It was clear to anyone that she missed Cam still, despite how much she said she didn't.

But we had to pretend that we didn't notice.

This was her big chance to finally get over him.

"I still can't believe Erik asked you out," Layne pouted, making Bay snicker.

"I can't imagine how Baze would freak out if he found out his little Layney had a crush on some other bad boy," Bay tsked as she nudged Layne and sat down beside her on Claire's bed.

"Baze? Who's Baze?" I raised my eyebrows as I came to join Claire at her closet.

"Uh, no one," Layne tried, "Well, a friend. From school. He was the other good guitarist there."

"A friend? Every picture of her from school, he's in it. Every email, something about him. For God's sake, they went on Spring Break together!"

"It was a group!" Layne tried, and I blocked them out as I looked through Claire's closet.

Since we had become friends again, Claire's closet had been vamped up, but it was no where near where it needed to be.

I mentally added, _Take Claire shopping_, to my ever growing to-do list, and I quickly picked out an outfit.

"This?" Claire asked, staring at the clothes I handed her.

"Just put it on," I pushed her towards the bathroom, and she continued to stare at the clothes as she went to change.

_Buzzzzzz._

The other girls didn't seem to hear it, but I had heard my cell phone buzz so many times that I knew the sound by heart.

Layne and Bay fighting over their "But I'm not in love with him!" situations found me a cover as I slid back to my beanbag chair to get at my phone without anyone noticing.

It wasn't like it was a big secret that I was talking to Derrington or anything.

I just didn't want them to say anything about it. Like making jokes about "Massington is on again!" or "Are you seriously giving up the god-like James?" that I really couldn't handle. Especially after the hard time James was giving me for it.

I can understand why he and Derrick don't get along and all, I guess.

But I'm not used to James being the jealous one.

I'm used to having to use my alpha-abilities to fight off the flock of girls that try to steal James from me on a regular basis, so this is new territory.

And it's not like anything is going on or anything, I'm just talking to him.

_I just realized how lame I am. It's Friday night, and I'm watching a movie and texting you. Did I switch lives with someone or something?_

_D.H._

_(Damn Hottie)_

I tried not to laugh as I typed my response.

_You're talking to the girl who is sitting around helping her friend get ready for a date instead of going on one for myself._

_-Massiecre_

It took him no time at all to respond.

_No James tonight? After that kiss at the party, I'm surprised you'll get within three inches away from him._

_D.H._

_(Damn Hottie)_

I blushed.

And I didn't know how to respond, which was so weird.

Finally, I came up with something.

_What about your little alpha? Is she still with Brandon?_

_-Massicre_

I made a point of bringing up Alicia.

But I wasn't sure if it was to remind him or to remind me.

_I don't think she will be for long._

_D.H._

_(Damn Hottie)_

I forced myself to smile.

_So, you're finally going to make your move?_

_-Massiecre_

This time the response was immediate.

_Yeah right. He's been lying to her about where he is left and right. Put two and two together._

_D.H._

Before I could type anything back, Claire came back from the bathroom, her eyes wide with amazement with how good she looked.

I had to admit that even I was pretty shocked even though I had been the one to pick it out.

Claire's light blue mini dress was more of a super-long shirt than a dress, but it fit her well anyway, making her slide into her matching blue Keds. She had a light blue extension in her pale blonde hair, with her hair held out of her eyes by a bobby pin, showing a silver stud on the top of her ear that she hadn't worn in a year.

Even Layne had to admit that she liked it.

And, right on cue of Claire officially being ready, the doorbell rang.

Claire froze.

"Layne you're going for me," Claire began to shake.

Before Layne could respond, I cut in.

"No, she's not. You're going."

Claire shook her head.

I cursed under my breath as I took Claire's thin wrist and started to pull her down the stairs and left her infront of the door.

She remained frozen.

I nudged her.

Finally, she opened the door to see Erik, and suddenly, she could move again.

"Hey, Erik."

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

_**Dylan,**_

"And that's a wrap!" Decepia (not her real name) yelled at us, and Josh smiled for the first time since we had started this photo shoot.

US Weekly had the big scoop on Ryan's wedding, and they were going all out for that.

Including a photo shoot of her bridesmaids.

And her little sister with her date to the wedding.

It was a miracle that they hadn't asked the Click to come for the photo shoot.

As I began to pull the bobby pins out of my red hair, the make-up girls got ready to make me look normal again, and Josh already sat down to wash the tons and tons of fake tan out of his already tan skin.

It took almost half an hour to get the make-up off and my hair down, and Josh was already done and back into his usual attire of his lucky jeans and a tee shirt by the time that I was wrapping myself up in a robe to go change back into my clothes.

"Hey, Dylan?"

I stopped at the doorway to the kitchen and looked around to my boyfriend.

"I was thinking about driving up to the boat," Josh smiled, "You wanna come?"

The boat was a decked out sailboat that his parents had bought for his sixteenth birthday after his parents had already given him a car for his fifteenth birthday when he got his learner's license.

Josh loved the thing more than his entire family combined, and he had quickly learned to drive it like a professional.

The boat was his haven, and it always had been. It had taken him a long time for him to finally drive me up to the beach and let me get on the sailboat, and, even though he had been with Alicia for so long, she had only been on the boat once. And that was a valentines surprise, which didn't really count in my opinion.

"Definitely. Just let me get dressed."

"I'll be back in thirty minutes. I've got to go pick up some stuff from home."

"I'll see you then."

Josh smiled as he kissed the top of my head, and I tried not to blush to the shade of my rose-red hair.

I was basically on cloud nine as I walked to my room when I heard someone call out to me as soon as my foot touched the first step.

"Dylan?"

I froze.

Helen from US Weekly.

She had always been the one to interview us when we were featured in the magazine, and it was usually nice to see her again.

But I hated the sound of her voice right then because I knew that she was about to keep me from going to the boat with Josh.

"Hmm?" I asked as I spun around to look at the petite blonde almost running to catch up with me.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I didn't get a chance to really talk to you earlier."

Crap, she wants gossip.

"I actually found this last weekend," she handed me her iPad, with _Gossip Girl_ on the screen.

"What about it?"

"I was hoping to write a piece on it. With you and the Click. And the itGirls if its possible."

I quickly began to weigh my options.

_Pros_

-Publicity for the Clique!

-Publicity for the show!

-If I give them drama now, they'll really let me leave the show when I pack up for NYU

_Cons_

-Publicity for the itGirls!

-Alicia is better at interviews than me

-Alicia might bring up how I'm dating her ex, which would kill my image as a good girl

-If people love me too much, they'll have to bring me back

Final answer, ask Massie.

"I'll have to talk to the girls," I told her as I handed her the iPad back.

"Of course, just give me a call when you decide," she pulled a card out of her golden _Diva_ cardholder and handed it to me.

"Will do."

Helen started to walk away, and I darted up the stairs as soon as I knew she wasn't looking.

I ran straight into my room and fumbled to get my cell phone out of the charging dock, and I quickly typed _1_, which was speed dial for my alpha.

Right as it was about to click off to voicemail, I got an answer.

"I'm a little busy right now, Dyl," Massie told me quickly, and I heard James in the background asking who it was.

"I know, I know. It's your day with James, but I had to call you."

"What's up?" the alpha seemed to get a little more comfortable, as if she knew she had something to explain when James asked her why she took the call.

"Remember that US Weekly photo shoot I had today?"

"The one where they made you wear purple?"

"Yeah, the girl, Helen, came up to me and started talking to me about the _Click_. She wants a piece on us. On the war, actually."

"Did you take it?" Massie's voice perked up, interested now.

"No, I took her card."

"Why didn't you accept?"

"They want Alicia in on it, too."

"And?"

I hesitated.

Massie knew my history with Josh.

But she saw it in a different light than how Alicia told it.

She knew that Josh had been dating Alicia when he fell for me. She knows that he dumped Alicia, and he started dating me. She also knows that nothing happened before then.

Alicia _doesn't_ know that.

And, if she's ever asked if she had any motive against me, she'll bring up Josh like she brings up her Amex, in the blink of an eye.

And, aside from how it would affect my career, Josh didn't need all that. And I highly doubt a college really wants their student to be fought over by two girls in US Weekly.

"I'm just worried about what she'll say," I finally told Massie as I plopped down on my duvet.

"People love you, Dylan. They'd choose to believe you over a slutty dancer any day. Don't worry."

"Thanks, Massie."

"How about we think about it? Call the girls tonight and talk about it as a group? Weigh the pros and cons?"

"That sounds great."

James said something the background, which I couldn't quite understand.

"I'll be there in a minute, James," Massie turned her attention back to me, "Bye, Dylan."

"Bye, Massie."

The phone clicked as Massie hung up, and I placed the expensive smart phone back on the end table where it belonged.

I hurried along with getting dressed, searching my bathroom for any sort of waterproof make-up, and I was throwing my necessities in an old Bo-Ho tote when my cell phone pinged.

Praying it wasn't a "Hurry-Up" text from Josh, I jumped up and ran towards my cell phone.

_3:00_

_GGT_

The alert pinged in big letters.

I quickly scrolled over to my Gossip Girl app to see the update.

_Alicia__-345_

_Massie__-320_

My eyes widened, and I quickly went back to the blog to check out the latest posts.

What had Allie written?

"_Good morning, Westchester!_

_It's a lovely day here at the Country Club pool, but what's even better is the Alpha standing here._

_With a new little sister about to be adopted, Alicia Riviera is taking a special concern in the un-adopted kids in local orphanages. And she decided to host a swim-and-greet for these wonderful children! Aside from learning how to swim, the orphans get to meet local families who are interested in adopting in a light, casual manner…"_

The article over how wonderful Alicia was now continued on, but my eyes stayed glued to the pictures of Alicia playing with little children and wearing age-appropriate clothing.

Who is this and what have they don't with Alicia?

And Orphans?

If she's playing dirty, two can play at that game.

I darted down the stairs and towards Helen, who was packing up her stuff to go.

_**Claire,**_

"I think I heard the director say you needed to be on stage for a run through," I whispered in Erik's ear as he continued to kiss my neck, trying not to moan.

"I can be late," he smiled as he worked his lips back up to mine.

This time I _did_ moan.

Not that I've exactly had much experience or anything, but Erik was an amazing kisser.

The kind that makes you melt every time he touches you.

And then Erik stopped all of a sudden.

What the-?

I opened my eyes to see the reason.

"Erik, they want you on stage," Cam motioned behind him where the stage was, and he forced himself not to look at me.

Still wearing his older brother's vintage leather jacket, Cam looked like a god. His black hair was newly cut, and his new tan made his bright blue eyes sparkle. Even though he must have been dying with how hot it was, Cam looked amazing in his dark wash jeans and band tee shirt, a style he had borrowed from our mutual friend Layne.

"Thanks, Cam," Erik nodded towards him awkwardly as he started waking towards the stage, leaving me and Cam alone together in the dark changing room.

After an awkward silence, I finally stood up.

"You _really_ loved me, huh?" Cam crossed his arms.

"I have to get over you sooner or later! I can't be sitting around when I'm ninety-nine, waiting for you to love me!"

Cam shook his head, trying to laugh, but he looked too sad to do something like that.

"So, it took a _week_ to get over me before moving on to Erik? What a powerful love!"

Cam looked at me with mixed emotions.

I used to be able to read him like a book.

But I couldn't tell if he was angry at me or if he was angry at himself. If he was upset about this or something else completely. If he hated me or if he hated himself.

And I hated that.

"No, it took _two years_."

Cam looked up at me, meeting my eyes for the first time in this conversation, finally letting me see how red his eyes were at the rim and how tired he was.

I stormed out of the room and towards the concession stands, where they were getting in their first order of the snacks.

I quickly grabbed a packet of peanut M&M's and slid into my secret hiding spot.

It was really a store room that wasn't being used, but, to me, it was my secret hiding spot.

After popping a handful of M&M's in my mouth, I placed my hand on my lips.

They still felt buzzed from kissing Erik, but the rest of my body was shaking after talking to Cam.

Cam and Erik.

They were so different, having only one thing in common.

_Me._

Or does Cam even consider himself involved with me anymore?

I crammed more M&M's down my throat.

Chocolate.

Why can't we date Chocolate instead of boys?

They'd be much better mates.

Is it possible to hate someone completely and then be in love with them?

"Well, I'm the proof," I mumbled.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

_Erik Gomez._

I quickly accepted the message and read through it.

_U okay?_

I smiled to myself as I responded.

_Yeah. Aren't u supposed to be practicing?_

Erik responded almost immediately.

_Dylan is on the phone_

Of course, she is.

I typed something back quickly and ate the rest of the candy that remained before leaving my not-so-secret secret hideaway.

_**Alicia,**_

"Alicia, wake up," my intercom buzzed beside my bed with my mother's voice.

Tiredly glancing over at the clock, I checked the time.

Six AM.

Has she lost her freakin' mind?

I pulled a pillow over my head and tried to go back to sleep.

"Alicia, Derrick is here."

I froze.

_Derrick?_

Here?

And then Derrick came on the line.

"Hey, I know you have dance class on Tuesdays, so I thought we could go ahead and knock this out today instead."

Was he…being _nice_?

No smirks.

No laughs.

No puns.

No annoying nicknames.

Was it even Derrick?

I stood up to press the intercom button.

"I'll be down in a minute," I told him quickly and hurried into my closet.

I forced my messy black hair into a slick ponytail and pulled a _BADASS Dance Studio_ tank top on and threw my unflattering tee shirt in the dirty clothes hamper.

Wait…what am I doing?

Suddenly feeling guilty, I slid a grey cardigan on and checked my cell phone.

_One new email from TheVoiceOfWestchester__._

I moaned as I threw my phone back to my bed.

_I can handle that later, _I told myself as I started to run down the stairs towards the pool, where Derrington and I always studied.

"You're up," Derrington smirked as soon as I got out on the deck.

"Shut up, Derrick," I took my seat across from him.

"If it's possible, you're even more of a bitch in the morning," he smiled across at me like he had just given me a compliment.

"Can you go two minutes without calling me a bitch?"

Derrington shrugged as he took out his phone and quickly typed something.

"Who are you texting?"

Did I sound jealous?

I couldn't of.

I'm _not_ jealous.

I'm not.

I swear.

"Does it matter?" Derrington asked as he slid his iPhone back into his backpack.

"No, I was just wondering," I shrugged, and he cocked an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Get over yourself, Derrick."

He shrugged as he opened the heavy book we had to study, and I let out an involuntary groan.

"It's not that bad."

I decided against responding as I began to flip through the pages to the place we had left off last time I had seen him.

"If you're that scared about it, we can study more," Derrington offered, not looking up at me.

"Can't," I shook my head.

"The War of the Cliques?"

I didn't say anything, which Derrington took as his answer.

"Why is this so important to you? You're leaving this fall for school anyway. What's the point?"

_What's the point?_

I spent forever working myself up to be at the top of the food chain, and people were finally forgetting about our old alpha, Massie Block._ I_ was becoming a legend, I was the one that people would remember.

People would claim to anyone who would listen that they had known me when we were in high school when my dancing career took off, like they did Skye. People would recall parties of mine as some of the most fun they have ever had when they're grey and old. When we're middle-aged, women will form their grown up Cliques and talk about how great they've done to escape my shadow.

I was finally an alpha.

A real one.

Not like the ones that only last a year or two before someone pushes past them.

I was finally an _AFL (Alpha for Life)_, and I was ready to make my name somewhere greater than the halls of _PMS_. It was my turn to take my destiny.

It was my turn to be like the Alphas before me.

And all of that is threatening to be lost because my old Alpha decided to come back from the UK.

"I spent years working my way here. And all of that is about to be forgotten. The relationships I lost because I put my status above being with them. The friendships that faded. The things I've done to get here, all gone. Twenty years from now, people will think of Massie if she wins, not me."

"And how do you think Massie feels?"

"What?" I stared at Derrington, silently daring him to say something more.

"You were her best friend. She traveled all of this way, gave up her last summer in England with her friends, to make amends for what she did to you and the PC. And, as soon as she gets here, you declare a social war on her."

Was Derrington taking her side?

"She's not innocent, Derrick."

"But neither are you, Alicia."

Alicia.

He just called me by my real name.

"Never mind, let's just go back to studying," Derrington motioned towards the book, but I couldn't pay attention to that.

I couldn't believe it.

I hadn't really noticed it before, but Derrington had been my best follower.

He always loved/hated me no matter what, and he always had my side since we were "just alike".

But, today, he had someone else's side.

Massie's, his first alpha.

Loyalty didn't run deep when it came to alphas since you couldn't be dragged down by another alpha, but Derrington could always afford to be loyal. And, for the last few years, he had been loyal to me, even if he hated the itGirls and sometimes hated me.

This stung.

And not logistically either.

I didn't immediately think, "Oh my God! People are going to ditch me because he ditched me!" like I usually do during situations like this.

Instead, it hit me somewhere besides my alpha-oriented brain.

It hit my heart, where I was still a person. An alpha, but still a person.

I was no longer the alpha in Derrington's heart.

_Massie was_.

And that hurt more than anyone else.

_**Kristen,**_

I almost took off a layer of skin as I tried to scrub all of the dirt off me.

This morning had been normal, I guess.

It was a beautiful day with the sun shining. My aunt's cook made my favorite, scrambled eggs, and I _'accidentally'_ missed every call from my mother. Feeling happy, I decided to go for a jog around the park.

And, when I got there, I noticed a certain boy on the soccer field, doing drills alone.

Dempsey.

And, somehow, he talked me into a game of soccer than turned into a Soccer-to-the-Death instead of the friendly match I had planned on.

In the end, I beat Dempsey, and I found myself covered in dirt and sweat as my prize.

And, to top it all off, Dempsey agreed by the condition I had made that the winner pays for Sushi.

Somehow, I convinced him to let me go home and take a shower, though I still don't know how I did it.

And I still only had ten minutes before I needed to be sitting at Mr. Sushi's.

My skin red and raw from the scrubbing, I turned off the shower and wrapped myself up in a towel as I stepped out to the cold bathroom.

I hurried along with getting dressed, making sure that my outfit would be cute enough to distract from my soaking wet hair that was just forced into a ponytail.

As I tied the bow on my lucky Nikes, I began to think about Dempsey.

How perfect he was, how utterly perfect.

His skin has a perfect tan.

His teeth have always been perfectly white and straight.

His hair has that boyish messiness that I j'adore.

And his photo-shop-perfect abs.

I quickly reprimanded myself.

Dempsey was a friend.

A friend that I had once been in love with, but a friend.

But, more importantly, he saw _me_ as a friend.

And, no matter how I felt about him, I couldn't change that.

I slid my phone into my pocket and mentally went over breakfast this morning to see if my aunt, or my annoying cousin, would be home today.

No, good.

I took off through the house, running like it was on fire, which of course scared Benni, the maid who was working today, but I didn't vex myself too much about that.

Instead, I freaked out over deciding which gas station was closest but still on my way to Mr. Sushi.

Finally, I pulled into a random Shell station and started filling up the car.

I quickly slid my _American Express_, but the reaction was still the same of not working.

Damn it.

I shouldered my purse as I hurried into the gas station to pay for my gas, and I couldn't help but stop and get a coke while I was at it.

But I froze when I saw the girl reaching for Vitamin Water beside me.

Oh.

My.

God.

Daphne.

Even in a pair of sweats, she looked girly and happy. Even worse, she looked innocent, which made it so hard to hate her.

"Kristen?"

Crap.

"Daphne?" I smiled weakly towards the petite blonde.

"Hey," her smile was real as she came over to me, holding two pink vitamin waters.

Of course they're _pink._

"Hey."

"I haven't seen you since the party, right?"

"Yeah," I trailed off, "…with Dempsey."

"Dempsey," she shook her head, almost laughing, "I haven't seen him since then."

"You haven't?"

"No, I mean, I kind of saw it coming. I asked him to the party at graduation, and I could tell that he really wasn't having fun with me," Daphne shook her head, almost blushing, "It was really kind of one of those resolution things, I guess. Go on a date with _the_ Dempsey."

"So, you and Dempsey are…?"

"Nothing. I mean, have you ever noticed how he brings up Africa almost every two seconds? It's cute at first, but it gets annoying fast."


	14. Abandoning Alpha

_**Dylan,**_

My eyes fluttered open, and I looked around.

Where-where was I?

I sat up and flipped the switch for a lamp on, and I began to notice that the room was _moving._

"What the-?"

"You're up."

I looked to the stairs to see Josh.

I suddenly understood where we were.

_The boat._

"What happened?" I asked as I forced myself to sit up and look at the sunrise.

"You fell asleep on deck, and I couldn't get you up. I had to bring you in here so you wouldn't get sunburned," Josh smirked.

"Drew is going to kill me!" I moaned as I put a pillow over my head.

"I already called her."

I moved the pillow to where I could peak at him.

"You did?"

"Yeah," he told me as he set a mug of coffee beside me, "When you get home, she's going to tease you for a while. But she'll forget about it soon enough."

"Um, what time do I have to be back for the photo shoot?"

"Three or later. We're on course, and we should be getting to your house at about twelve."

Trust Josh to have everything planned.

I had always just gone along with things.

With the reality TV show, I never knew what the plan was, and I couldn't always keep promises to my friends. So planning was completely out the window.

But Josh always had a plan.

_Always._

Alicia had always hated that about him, but I loved it since I was such a polar opposite.

"And filming for the show?"

"They're all at a wedding dress fitting for Ryan."

I stared at him.

"How do you do that?"

Josh smiled.

"Thanks, Josh."

He kissed the top of my head, and I tried to think of what I did before I started dating him.

I knew it hadn't been too long ago, but I had trouble remembering it.

I didn't understand how Alicia could always take him for granted like she had. I loved everything about him, and I made it obvious so that anyone could see it. Sure, we sometimes fought, like everyone does. But I still found myself worrying all the time that it would happen to me, too.

That, like Alicia, I wouldn't see it coming, and, all of a sudden, he would be gone with someone else.

"You okay?" Josh knit his eyebrows in confusion, and I quickly snapped out of it.

"Uh, yeah, just thinking."

He raised his eyebrows to ask.

I bit my lip and hesitated.

If there was anything I hated, it was being the clingy girlfriend.

"I was just thinking about Alicia."

"What'd she do this time?" his jaw tightened.

"Oh nothing. Well, nothing _recently_."

"Then what?"

"Well, I was thinking about…" I paused, not sure how to word this, "your break-up."

"_Our break-up_?"

"Yeah," I answered, hoping that this was over now.

"What about _our break-up_?"

"That it might…uh, happen to… _me._"

He raised his eyebrows again.

"You know, not knowing that you were unhappy….and then, um, you being…_gone_."

I suddenly felt like throwing up.

"You were thinking about me dumping you?"

"Well, if you want to put it like _that_," I crossed my arms, silently praying that this situation would just go away.

I didn't talk about break-ups with the guys I'm dating.

It's just bad luck.

A bad omen for things to come.

And I really didn't want a bad omen with Josh.

"You just did," Josh laughed, and I glared at him.

He quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Sorry."

I rolled my eyes and was about to get up to change into the extra clothes in my bag when he spoke up again.

"So, is this your _Dylan-Way_ of warning me that I'm about to be dumped?"

"No, no, I was talking about _you_."

"Dylan, you're on the boat. I don't even really let my _sister_ on the boat. You really think I'm going to dump you?"

Here was another thing about Josh that I loved.

He didn't get mushy. Sure, one day, that could probably be something I will hate about him, but, since I am exactly the same way, I love it. And I love moments like this.

My old boyfriends would have given me this speech about how they loved me and they'd never leave me and that we'd be together forever, which scared me, or they'd be too nonchalant about it and I could tell right away that my fears were about to come true. But, somehow, Josh had hit the mark to be exactly in between the two.

Exactly _perfect._

I kissed the top of his head, which made him smirk.

"Good answer, Josh."

_**Alicia,**_

"It's been a pleasure meeting you, Alicia, and good luck with your tryout," the adoption lady, whose name I had quickly forgotten, smiled at me, and I forced a smile on my lips.

"Amazing meeting you, too," I shook her hand, and my parents followed after me to thank her for her time before she left.

Today had been the elusive interview to adopt a child, and she had made it obvious that she was going to let them adopt.

But, standing here, I wasn't sure that I wanted them to adopt.

So, maybe I wasn't a little girl anymore, but I still liked being Daddy's Little Girl.

But a new girl would take that spot now.

I tried to imagine what she would be like. What life with her would be like.

Would my parents forget about their daughter in college for the little baby at home?

Would they love her more?

Would they be able to really take a part in my life if they're going to dance recitals and parent teacher conferences?

Would my mom miss the birth of my child because she was driving the new baby to a volleyball game?

Would my child be spoiled rotten by their grandparents if they're still spoiling their child?

No one had ever thought like that.

Even now, my mom was clearing out my Spa Room, saying that I wouldn't need it and that the baby needed a playroom.

And the baby hasn't even been picked out yet!

"It looks like you're going to get a baby sister!" my dad smiled as the door closed, and he set his hand on my shoulder proudly.

I began to see what the rest of the day would be like.

Talking about the baby until Dad had to return to work. My mom driving me to the store to buy things for the baby. Getting a new charm for my charm bracelet with '_Big Sister_' in pink diamonds. Looking through baby photos of me until my mom finally decides to have a heart and sets me free.

And I _sooo_ couldn't handle that now.

"Uh, I have to get to Dance Practice."

"I thought you didn't have practice today," my mom put a perplexed look on her botox-fresh face.

"I wanted to get some more in. The audition is soon."

"That's my girl! Taking this seriously!" my dad clapped on my back, and I forced myself to smile along.

"Alright, just don't be too late, Alicia, we're going out to dinner tonight. The three of us as a family."

"I won't," I told her as I reached for my dance duffle in the closet, and I slid on my _BADASS Dance Studio_ jacket over my dress, hearing the jingle that told me the keys were in the pocket.

"See you soon!" my dad called to me as I pulled the door closed behind me.

Opening the trunk, I threw my duffle into the trunk and slammed it shut, knowing that I wouldn't use anything in there. As I put the keys in the ignition, my finger hesitated on the speed-dial for the _itGirls_. Something about calling them felt wrong.

I didn't want them to see me so vulnerable.

But isn't that what friends are for?

I drowned out my thoughts with the latest loud dance song in my CD player, and I drove to the only place I felt like I could really go.

It took forever, but I finally found it.

As I pulled the car to a halt, I looked at the sign nailed to the tree.

_Sign-Ups for Camp Today!_

Below, they listed the ages, but I stopped ready when I saw the dates for the seventh graders.

Seventh grade here.

I could still feel the anger I felt for Claire when I found out that she had kissed my major crush, Josh, who I now hated, and I could still remember how I hadn't been able to enjoy anything while we were at this camp for the long weekend until I got a chance to finally get even with her.

Kissing Cam.

And then there was what had really bugged me.

I knew Massie hadn't kissed anyone, but Claire and Massie swore she did. And I was going crazy wondering if she was keeping secrets with Claire.

I had been friends with Massie long before Claire had, and I still had territorial issues as Claire was becoming number two instead of me.

Sometimes, I wished I could go back to then.

Back when I was just a Beta.

Being an alpha took so much work.

And, if things went wrong, I was always blamed.

And, with Olivia's low IQ, things went wrong more than they should.

But, more importantly, I wished I could go back to when I really had friends.

Not Betas.

But _friends._

As I slid out of the BMW, I continued to think about my years with the PC.

Even worse, I began to think about why I had ended it.

For years, I had thought it was the right choice.

But, today, I wasn't so sure.

After squeezing past a few of the kids running around the camp and the parents checking the safety of it, I finally found what I was looking for.

My old hide-out.

My scheming place.

Over the last few years, I had come here more than I'd like to admit, but it still felt like it had been years every time I came here.

The reason was that it was the _same_. Unlike everything else, it hadn't changed in the last four years. When I came here, I still felt like I was in seventh grade. Like Massie and I were fighting over who was really alpha, and the worst thing someone could have said to me was _Fanish._

Things were just easier here.

There were no soon-to-be-adopted little sisters.

No annoying Betas.

No ex-best friends giving you an Alpha-off.

And no boy drama.

I reached inside of my cell phone and quickly typed in a number, knowing that I needed him now more than ever even if my cell phone bill would sky-rocket for calling him in Mexico.

"This is Brandon. Sorry I can't answer your call. I'm probably out by the beach! Leave me a message, and I'll call you back!"

I hung up on the recorded message, and I threw my phone into the sand.

"So much for that," I mumbled.

"So much for what?"

I looked up, and I would have been less shocked if Darth Vader had been standing there.

"Derrick?"

As always, he looked like a god.

His sandy blonde hair fell into his brown eyes, which were covered by his blue aviators. He wore what he always wore, the same outfit that would look bad on any guy but looked amazing on him. This time it was black board shorts and a _"Don't You Wish Your Boyfriend Was Hot Like Me"_ tee shirt.

I hadn't seen Derrington since he had taken Massie's side.

It hurt too much to see him.

We were never close, but we understood each other.

Even if we fought nonstop, we were always there for each other.

It was our alpha-loyalty.

And he had given his loyalty to another alpha.

"Hey," he smiled as he took his sunglasses off, "I haven't heard from you. Isn't your test soon?"

"Next week."

"We probably need to get on it, huh?"

I nodded weakly.

And Derrington hesitated.

"Are we okay?"

I stared up at him.

"What?"

"I mean, we were kind of _almost friends._ And now you can't even look at me. Are we okay?"

"I can _look_ at you."

"Not without that look of betrayal."

I hesitated.

"Come on, I'm not leaving until you tell me."

As if to prove it, he sat down on the sand beside me.

"Fine," I crossed my arms, "You chose _her_."

"Huh?"

"_Everyone_ is choosing _her!_ She's been gone for years! She ditched us all! But, then she shows up again, and they all act like nothing happened!"

Derrington stared at me.

"You haven't forgiven her, have you?"

"What?"

"For leaving you? And making new friends and forgetting about you?"

"That has nothing to do with anything!"

"Yes, it does. You can't keep holding this in, Alicia. It's not good for anyone."

"I'm not holding anything in, Derrick."

"Yes, you are."

"Stop trying to act like I had some problem with me because I left you."

It took me a long time to realize that _I_ said that.

Derrington's mouth formed an 'O' in shock, and I think he looked like he was about to cry.

I had never seen Derrington cry.

I didn't even know he _did._

"Is it so unbelievable for you to accept that I am trying to help you?"

Guilt flooded me.

"Derrington-"

"Don't call me that."

He stood up to leave, and he marched away.

"Derrick," I tried to go after him, but I heard my phone ringing.

This made Derrick stop and stare.

"Go on, what is it? Me or your popularity?"

Without even realizing it, I started making my way to the phone, and, when I looked up to Derrington, he was gone.

_**Massie,**_

I pressed the download button as the email came in with our first photos from the photo shoot.

When we began shooting, each clique did it in our headquarters.

The Click had our photo shoot in Bay's office, and Alicia had it in her home dance studio.

But here we were together now.

It had been US Weekly's idea to bring it back to where this all started.

The halls of OCD.

They had gotten permission from the school, and we were all awkwardly staring at each other in the cafeteria while our make-up was being done.

Before, the plan had been to have the Click in the computer class and the itGirls in the history room, and then we'd all get together for a photo together in the halls.

But then it had started to rain, and the lightening through the big glass windows had been a perfect setting for this.

It felt weird to be in the school again.

It didn't feel like my OCD.

It felt like it belonged to a new generation because…well, it _did._

OCD had a new alpha, and they probably never thought about their old alphas, the Pretty Committee.

They probably didn't know about the Tiffany Box Trailers.

Or about the Kissing Class in the chapel.

Or about the old underground hiding spot we used to have before it got turned into the boy's locker-room when OCD became BOCD.

Nor would they probably care.

They had their own stories, and ours were just old to them.

I was thinking about all of my memories in this lunch room when the make-up girl finally put her curling iron down and motioned me towards the oversized mirror they moved in.

I gasped.

I was…

_Old Massie_.

As I looked around the room, I realized that everyone had done their jobs by transforming us back into the old girls we used to be.

As I ran my hands through my wavy brown hair, I felt like I was transformed to all those years ago.

I suddenly felt guilty for everything I had done.

As I looked back through the room, I could almost feel the eyes of my old subjects. I could almost see them sitting at their lunch tables, staring at me with envy. And, most importantly, I could finally see how much they had really hated me.

And I realized that I would have hated me, too…

"Let's do this!" the photographer quickly began to put us in our places, and he sat us to where we would have been before.

Layne sat at a different table, with headphones in her ears, and Bay held her blackberry in her hand beside her.

CeCe and Olivia were sitting together at a different table, looking like the sluts they were back then…. And still were.

And then there was the PC.

With me in the middle, we sat accordingly to how we used to.

"Now, pose!"

We all did as the photographer said, but I forced myself not to stare at us all.

This couldn't have been us, right?

It felt like such a foreign possibility, but I knew it had to be true.

"Alright, let's split up for Interviews!" the photographer told us as he took the last photo.

CeCe and Olivia were the first to get away, with everyone going to see when they would be interviewed.

But I couldn't help but slip out while they weren't looking.

The school was dimly lit, but I could find my way easily.

My locker.

My classes.

I could find it all.

As I walked through, I had to remind myself that it had been four years since I had ruled here.

But it felt like home.

I felt like the bell would ring any minute, and the rest of my old classmates would appear again, including my friends. And we'd all go back to the way it was.

But it never happened.

"It wasn't the same without you."

I jumped and turned around to see Alicia.

"OCD. It didn't feel the same. Everyone missed you."

I nodded, still trying to find the words to say.

"They didn't really accept me as their alpha. They kept acting like I was a substitute until their real alpha returned from across the pond."

"That's why you broke up the PC, right?"

"We were fighting a lot, Massie."

"But _you_ ended it."

"Don't you get it, Massie?"

I stared, which she took as a no.

"_You _broke us up. You left us for your UK Friends, and we tried. But we couldn't do it forever."

"I couldn't help leaving, Alicia."

"You're parents gave you a choice for that semester. So, just admit it. You got tired of us."

"I didn't get tired of you!"

"What then?"

"I _forgot!"_

Alicia stared at me.

"I liked it more when you had just gotten tired of us, Massie."

With that, Alicia stormed out of the classroom.

_**Claire,**_

"So, you were the new girl who got into the head clique? How was that?" the reporter asked.

"Well, it didn't really feel like a _clique._ We were just… friends."

"Was it hard for them to become friends with you?"

"I mean, it took a while, but…" I shrugged, and she smiled.

"I understand. Now, what do you think was your hardest obstacle to overcome?"

"Hmmm…well, other than the keds-"

The reporter laughed.

"I'd definitely have to say Cam Fisher."

"Cam Fisher?"

"When Massie and I were younger, we both had a crush on a guy named Cam Fisher. And he liked me, not Massie."

The reporter nodded.

"But we worked it out. Massie and I were friends for a long time, and Cam and I dated for years."

"Are you two still together?"

"Um," I felt sick, "No, we're not. We broke up two years ago."

"Are you with anyone now?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Erik Gomez. We met when we were both working on a play. I was a stage hand, and he was the star."

"How adorable!"

I smiled, and I suddenly began to crave gummies to calm me down.

"Now, how do you feel about this Social War?"

I hesitated.

"I wish we could get along, but…" I shrugged, not sure what to say to that.

"Well, Claire, that should do it!" the reporter smiled, and she shook my hand before I stood up, "Can you tell Layne that she's next?"

"Uh, sure," I nodded.

I did as she said and told Layne as I walked back into the hall, and I told them that I'd get going.

Using my hoodie to shield me from the rain, I ran out towards the parking lot and started my Camri.

I began to think of how they would portray me in the magazine.

Would it be better to be the sweet girl or the badass alpha?

I couldn't tell.

I was about to take the turn that would take me towards my house when I saw the boy on the sidewalk.

Curiously, I pulled over to the sidewalk to see and rolled down my window.

Holy Crap.

"Cam?"

"Claire?"

We both stared at each other with amazement.

"What are you doing out here in the rain?"

"I went for a jog."

"In the rain?"

"I went for a jog. _Then_ it started raining."

"Well, do you need a ride?"

"It's not far to where I live, Claire."

"Then why not let me drive you?"

He stared at me, his lips forming the word no, but then he stopped when the thunder began to rattle the sidewalk.

"Sure."

He came around the car and climbed into the already wet passenger seat.

As I pulled the window back up and started driving, we sat in silence.

There was nothing to say.

Or, if there was, we were too scared to say it.

"Your interview thing was today, right?" Cam finally asked.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Did it go well?"

Seeing that he was trying to make an effort, I played along.

I asked him how his brother was doing, and he asked me how Todd was doing. We talked about how much it sucked that our favorite candy store was going out of business, and we even spent a while talking about how hard it was to find a really good radio station in Westchester.

I had to admit that I liked not screaming at him.

And I also had to admit that it was kind of easier to talk to him than it was to talk to Erik.

Erik was great and everything, but Cam and I had history.

We knew each other.

Sometimes, I think he knew me better than I knew myself.

But finally I pulled over to Cam's house.

"Thanks, Claire," Cam opened the door, and he was about to get out when the thunder shook the road, "Are you sure you should be driving? You have a long drive home."

I was about to tell him that I'd be fine and that it wasn't_ that_ long of a drive when I noticed lightening out of the corner of my eye.

"Harris and my parents are out to the beach to work things out, so you won't have to hear fighting if you come in."

I hesitated, but I finally caved.

"Sure."

_**Okay, I can't think of anything for Kristen right now.**_

_**But I'll make it up next time!**_

_**And what do you think will happen with Claire and Cam?**_

_**Hmmm…**_

_**;D HAWTgeek ;D**_


	15. Mistakes Jealousy and Pregnancy Tests

_**Claire,**_

"_So, what's up with your parents and Harris?" I asked as I began to hug my knees._

"_I don't know," Cam shrugged, opening a coke as he sat down on the sofa._

"_It's up to you know, huh? To take over the family the company?" I asked, remembering how Cam used to be nervous about that._

"_I kind of always wanted to though," Cam shrugged._

"_You never told me that."_

"_I know, I didn't really realize it until Harris turned it down," Cam ruffled his hair, and I felt a smile form._

"_I don't know what I want to do," I admitted, "And I don't have long to choose."_

"_I always kind of saw you as a teacher."_

"_You did? Why?"_

_Cam shrugged._

"_I don't know. You're patient and kind, and you love kids. I always pictured you buying some photography studio and teaching little kids what you love so much," Cam told me, and, as I looked at him, I realized that he had always pictured himself in that._

_Being with me when I first bought the studio. Helping me hang the first pictures. Maybe even dropping off our kids for classes there with their friends._

_And I had to admit that I had pictured myself in the life he was talking about._

_Coming to the office, knocking on the door which would always bring a happy smile to his face no matter what. Reminding him in office that we had a doctor's appointment while I was pregnant, and brining our little children to see him when he wasn't that busy at the office._

"_Thanks, Cam," I smiled weakly, trying not to blush._

_It still hurt sometimes that we wouldn't have that life together._

_I had planned on it for so long, always knowing through our spats that we would get over it and that our happy little life was still waiting for us. So, it hit me like a freight train when I had first realized that Cam wasn't going to show up at my door with gummies and flowers, begging for my forgiveness, and it hurt me even more to realize that we weren't going to have the life we had planned. We wouldn't have a son named Alex and a daughter named Samantha, and we wouldn't raise them in a cute little "Leave It to Beaver" house._

_Cam was about to say something when the rain on the roof finally stopped._

_Though still in the basement, the rain had been pouring down loudly as if we were outside._

_But it was gone now._

_We both stared at the ceiling, and I couldn't help but be upset that it had stopped._

_When I got here, it had been awkward, and I had wanted to risk it and go home already. But, when Cam brought me down to the basement we use to always go to, I had suddenly felt a whole lot calmer. And we had somehow learned to become friendly again._

"_The rain stopped."_

"_Yeah, I better go," I stood up slowly, and Cam followed my example._

_He nodded and followed me up to the front door, and he handed me my hoodie._

_I froze, feeling the same sparks I had felt when we had first started dating._

_And, for the first time, I noticed that he was feeling it, too._

_As I stared across at him, he stared at me._

_I didn't notice that we were getting closer to each other until his lips crashed onto mine._

I woke with a startle, but I shut my eyes again when the sun blinded me.

Covering my eyes, I moaned, and I thought back to my dream.

Cam.

I began to feel guilty about it.

I loved being with Erik. He was fun. He was funny. And he didn't go around dating my arch enemies.

And he loved _me_, something I really needed right now.

Cam had pushed me away too many times, and I refused to become one of those girls who waits around for a guy who will never really be able to love her the way she needs. Erik was what I needed, he was what I wanted. And I really did like him.

So, why did I keep thinking of Cam?

And even _dreaming_ of Cam.

Moaning, I opened my eyes and let myself adjust to the light.

But what I found was more startling than the bright sun.

This wasn't _my room._

Or Massie's.

Or any of my friends.

It wasn't even _Erik's_.

But something about the navy blue walls and posters felt familiar.

As if I knew the room somewhere.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember the night before.

I rolled over to see if getting out of the light would help me, but then I ran into something.

No, into _someone_.

At the feel of skin, I jumped and opened my eyes.

Beside me, there was a boy fast asleep, his black hair sprawled on the pillow.

Well, not just a _boy._

_Cam._

I slapped my hand over my mouth and silently screamed as I thought back to the night before.

Him kissing me. Kissing him back for what felt like hours. Finally, him leading me up the stairs towards his room, a path I had memorized…

_Crap!_

Wrapping myself up in the comforter, I searched for my clothes, putting on each piece as I found it, and I fumbled around the room to find my jeans with my car keys in it. Hearing the happy sound of the keys as picked them up, I dropped the blanket and buttoned up my jeans.

"Hmmm," Cam mumbled in his sleep, and I froze, suddenly afraid that he would wake up.

But he pulled up the remaining sheets and moved around in the bed, still asleep.

I silently took a breath of relief and quietly sneaked out of the bedroom.

But, once the door was closed behind me, I ran down the stairs without any worry of how loud it was. I snapped my hoodie up from the floor and slammed the front door shut as I came to the Camri.

Sliding in and buckling my seatbelt, I finally let the realization hit me.

"What have I done?" I felt the taste of pennies role over my tongue.

I was still thinking over everything that had happened last night when my phone started ringing in the holster in the car. I reached for it, about to press accept when I looked down at the contact.

I dropped the sidekick down into the passenger seat out of shock.

Erik.

I couldn't talk to him now!

"Shit," I mumbled, hitting my head on the top of the steering wheel.

_**Massie, **_

"You okay, Claire?"

"I'm fine. Why? Why would I not be fine? Everything's great."

"I just asked if you were okay, Claire."

"I'm great, Mass. Are you okay? You sound kind of sick."

I hesitated, wanting to tell her. But I couldn't.

Not until I _knew_.

"I'm fine, I think I just have a stomach bug, Claire."

"Yeah, Bay called me about you getting sent home. That had to suck."

"It did," I answered, hugging my knees and adjusting my cell phone to where I could hold it without strain.

"Oh shoot! I think the director is coming this way, and he hates when I'm on the phone. Bye, Massie."

"Bye, Claire."

_Click._

I set my phone down back on the coffee table and brought it back to the timer application.

Ten minutes.

It felt like an eternity.

Putting the cell phone in my back pocket, I started walking towards the bedroom.

Turning on the lights, I began to miss James. I wished he could be here, freaking out with me, but I didn't want to involve him until I was absolutely certain.

I hated keeping things from him.

Well, this was honestly the first time I ever really had.

James and I told each other everything, even if it would have been better sometimes if we didn't.

But it was the way we were.

I lifted up my shirt to see my abdomen, and I stared at it.

I had kept my body in perfect shape for years, which is why I had first noticed how bloated I was. With that discovery, I started noticing more new things. Like how I suddenly could not get enough of eggs, making James make it for me all the time, and how I gagged every time I had celery, which I used to love. And then the headaches. And I couldn't get enough sleep, _ever_.

But throwing up in the middle of work had been the final straw.

I was beginning to wonder if James had noticed.

He was always reprimanding me when I had too much caffeine, and he had suddenly gotten affectionate, even being sweet enough to fit my cravings when I woke up at three in the morning.

James.

I began to wonder how he would react when I told him.

Whether I was pregnant or not, I would tell him about this horrible ordeal.

I knew how he would react if I told him that I _wasn't_ pregnant. He would hug me and let me cry, kissing the top of my head and calming me down. He would reproach me for not telling him, but I still knew he wouldn't have been able to handle the worry. And we'd end up sitting on the kitchen floor, eating a box of ice cream or some sweet treat that I would normally not have.

But what would he do if I _was_ pregnant?

What would we do?

Move home to England so the baby could be around their grandparents?

Quickly get married in the fall and announce proudly a few months later that we were expecting our first child?

I began to think about what it would do to me.

I would have to sit out of a year of college if not more. And becoming that Vogue journalist that I had always dreamed of being would be a hard stretch with a little baby to raise. Would I have to become a little house wife like my mom?

And James.

What would James do?

He always joked around that he'd marry me if I'd just say yes, but that was us _joking_. Would he hate me for having to get married young? Would the grudge between us break the love we had for each other? Would I one day become a glamorous divorce in an expensive Flat, wearing the tortoise shell sunglasses and looking hot so that her ex-husband will rethink their divorce every time he comes to drop off their daughter for their custody agreement?

I was still thinking of how disappointed my father would be in me for becoming pregnant at eighteen when I heard the front door open.

I pulled down my shirt again and threw my cell phone on the bed right above the pregnancy test, which I simply shoved under a blanket.

"Mass?"

I was tucking my camisole back below my purple half-sweater as I quickly came to the kitchen to meet James.

"What are you doing home?"

"I heard you got sick, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a stomach bug," I set my hand on my stomach, which quickly reminded me of the pregnancy test waiting in the bedroom.

I had to get him out of here.

_Now._

"You really didn't have to come home. I mean, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, I did. I wanted to make sure you were okay," he kissed the top of my head.

"Well, I'm great."

"What are you talking about, Massie? You need to get to sleep."

"Really, I think I'd be better if I went for a walk. Got some fresh air," I began, but James cut me off.

"Bed rest, doctor's orders."

I moaned but nodded.

"I'll go get in the guest bed, so I don't get germs in our bed," I started towards the second bedroom, which James's parents think he sleeps in every night, but he pulled me back gently.

"I'll sleep in the guest bedroom. You're sick."

I was about to keep pushing this issue when he started guiding me through the bedroom.

"Get in bed."

I decided to distract him by sliding out of my skirt and sweater so that I could get in the bed without him trying to help me in, which would make him find the little device immiedately.

"What's this?" he motioned towards my cell phone, but I quickly leaned down to snap it up.

"I was just timing how long it was before I threw up."

_Okay, so screw the sexy distraction plan._

James nodded.

"I'll go pick up some stomach medicine, okay?"

I nodded, happy to know that he was about to leave.

"Thanks, James."

I almost got away with it.

But then he brought up the blanket to pull it closer to me, and the little pregnancy test slid right out of the blanket and basically screamed for James to look at it.

James froze and stared at it for what felt like forever until he finally picked it up.

"What is this, Massie?"

As if another clue to why I thought I was pregnant, my hormones took charge of me and made me begin to cry so much that James just stared at me in disbelief.

But, finally, he sprung into action and sat on the other side of the bed, pulling me towards him so that I could cry into his chest.

"Shhh," he whispered, rocking me like I was crying baby instead of his probably-pregnant girlfriend.

_Well, at least he'd be a good dad__…_

After about five minutes of me crying into his chest and him trying to calm me down, I finally ran out of tears and looked up at him.

"It'll be okay, Massie," he brushed my hair out of my eyes, and I continued to stare at him.

"What if it's positive?"

James sighed, thinking it over so he didn't say the wrong thing and make me cry again.

"You want me to be honest?"

I nodded.

"Well, we'll probably go home. We'll get engaged, claiming that we realized that we don't want to waste any of our life together. We'll trade schools to England, and you'll take a year off to plan the wedding. A few months later, we will announce our impending child, like there was no possibility of it being the reason we got married, and we'll go on with our lives," James told me squeezing my hand.

"What do you think our lives will be like?"

"Our careers will probably take longer to get. But we'll get there someday, and we'll have an adorable little kid along to take the picture with us," James smiled, kissing the top of my head.

"Thank you," I whispered.

I wasn't sure what I was thanking him for.

For calming me or for always knowing what to say?

For being there when I needed him or for loving me so much?

For being willing to make room in our lives for a baby or for just not blaming me for it?

While we waited, we didn't speak.

I just rested my head on his chest and thought soothing thoughts, if not for me but for the baby we were so torn up about.

And finally, right as I was about to burst from not knowing, my phone's alarm went off.

James looked to me, silently asking if I wanted to do it, but I quickly shook my head.

James reached for the little white device, and I couldn't read his face as he read it.

"You might want to cancel that baby registry," his lips formed a smile.

"I'm not pregnant?"

James showed me the device.

A little blue minus sign.

I wrapped my arms around James's neck and hugged him.

He smiled as he kissed the top of my head, and I couldn't help but be overjoyed with the possibilities of our lives just after they had almost been taken away.

"I'll go get you some Nyquill, and you should get some rest," James smiled as if he hadn't just been thinking about the idea of having a child.

I kissed his cheek and nodded.

"I love you, James."

"I love you, too, Massie."

_**Dylan,**_

As I logged onto the gossip girl, I read through my email from Massie once again.

_Can't help but be in a good mood, even if I am throwing up every five seconds! I'm just a hormonal, sick teenage girl who is bloating! Not pregnant!_

_-Massie_

She had sent that text out to all of the Click girls, which had prompted us all to call her immediately to see what had made her write such a text. I still wanted to 'Aw' at how sweet James had been about the possibility of having a child.

When Josh had first seen me with a pregnancy test, even though he didn't know I was buying it for my sister, Drew, he passed out.

So him holding me while I cried and worried about what life we would have if I was pregnant was so not in the realm of possibilities.

Still thinking about how excited Massie had been as she broke the news that she was not with child, I quickly looked at the head page of Gossip Girl.

_Massie Block Sent Home from Work for Being Sick!_

As Allie went on and on about how much it would suck for Massie to have to miss the big party this weekend, it seemed like she had missed the objective of this.

She was trying to make people vote against her with this one.

But I only wanted to vote for her after reading that.

I pressed the scoreboard button.

_Alicia- 405_

_Massie-450_

I smiled to myself as I quickly typed a text to my alpha with the latest scores, and I was about to close my laptop when I got a new IM.

_Blue wants to chat._

Blue?

Who was blue?

I accepted the chat anyway.

_Blue: Hey, Dylan, have you heard from Claire? I've been trying to call her all day._

_Dyl-Me-In: Erik?_

_Blue: Yeah, Erik Gomez._

_Dyl-Me-In: What's up with the screen name?_

_Blue: My hair._

Right…

_Dyl-Me-In: I just got off the phone with Claire. She sounded a little jumpy but okay, I guess._

_Blue: Jumpy?_

Definitely jumpy.

I hadn't talked to her much today, only calling to ask if Todd was going to camp next week or this week, but she had freaked out. And, when I had tried to change the subject and asked if she did anything last night, she become like a lunatic,

_Dyl-Me-In: Jumpy._

_Blue: Hey, did she sleep over at your place?_

_Dyl-Me-In: No, why?_

_Blue: Nothing. I just called her house, and her brother said she had slept over with one of her friends or something. Just asking if maybe you knew why she was jumpy._

Slept over?

As Erick said goodbye, I thought back to last night.

Where had she gone after the interviews?

As I thought it over, I only had one possibility.

I quickly typed off a text to Claire, asking her if my theory was correct, and I was waiting around for a response when someone called my name.

"Dylan! Time to film the show!" Ryan called out loudly, and I jumped up, knowing that it was finally time to announce my sister's pregnancy.

So much for Claire…

I jumped up and quickly ran down the stairs to the make-up team.

_**Alicia,**_

Turning up the music, I worked harder.

I knew that my SAT test would be soon, but that hurt too much to think about because it reminded me of Derrington.

How had I screwed up so much?

As I continued to push myself into the dance, I finally let myself think about when we had been together.

I had actually…_loved_ him. Everything about him. That annoying thing where he would pretend to be engrossed in a book when I was trying to get his attention. The way he laughed with that smirk of his. His obsession with pretzels.

I didn't know why I left him. Why I went back to Josh during the school year. Or why I acted like none of it had ever happened.

I began to miss Derrington, wishing I could talk to him about this.

I had tried to talk to Brandon , but it didn't feel the same. And I wasn't quite ready to admit my past just yet, so talking to the_ itGirls_ was sooo _not_ going to happen.

Trying to drown away my loud thoughts with the music, I put more and more effort into my dance.

So much effort that my body couldn't sustain it, and I finally collapsed onto the floor.

As I was lying on the floor, I realized that there was only one person I really wanted to call.

I scrambled to get to my iphone, which I took out of the ipod dock, and I quickly began to scan through my contacts.

_I'm sorry, Derrick._

_-Leesh_

I hugged my knees, about to cry as I waited for a response.

And then my phone buzzed.

_I should be apologizing, Alicia. I don't think I can tutor you, sorry to leave when the test is so soon. But I'm sure you can find someone to help you._

_D.H._

He had erased the bottom part of his signature, making a pun with his initials because he was such a _Damn Hottie_.

But I didn't think about that.

He called me Alicia.

Not Leesh.

Or doll face.

Or baby.

Or sweetheart.

But _Alicia_.

As I sat there, I realized that my entire world had fallen apart.

Everything I had known for the last year was gone.

Derrington wasn't on my side. I wasn't going to be an only child. CeCe hadn't been able to hold onto Cam. I wasn't alpha. And I was more alone than I had been in years.

I had been…._beaten_.

For the first time since my reign as Alpha, someone was actually beating me.

And I refused to be downtrodden like some _Beta!_

I stood up, logging onto my contacts from my phone.

So maybe I had lost Derrington.

And maybe I had lost the peaceful summer I had planned on.

And I had definitely lost being the one-and-only alpha.

But I could still win this thing.

Massie _did_ have a lead. But it wasn't that big, and I could pull up if I really wanted.

I quickly sent off a text to Olivia and CeCe.

_Time to cut the good girl act. Back to ourselves. And ten times better! Mall, thirty minutes. Bring your Amex!_

_-Alicia_

I pressed send and typed in the speed dial for Brandon, silently sending a mental message to him in Mexico that he better answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Brandon."

"Leesh?"

I froze at the nickname Derrington had dubbed me so long ago.

"Yeah, it's Alicia."

"What's up?" he told me, his voice still full of sleep.

"Where are you?" I asked as the clutter behind him seemed to get _louder_.

"At the airport. Didn't I tell you I was coming home today?"

"You told me you weren't getting home for another week."

"Well, I'm about to get on the plane."

"So, are you busy tomorrow night?" I asked, hopefully.

"Yeah."

"Already?"

"But I'm all yours on Friday," I could basically see him smiling like that made up for everything.

It _didn't_.

"But _I_ can't. My parents are having some family dinner thing to celebrate my test," I rolled my eyes as I recalled how proud my mom had been to announce that she was throwing the party.

"Friday is your SAT day, huh?"

I hesitated before finally asking him the question I had been thinking about since my mom had first told me that I could invite three friends.

"Well… maybe you could come?"

Brandon didn't say anything.

He had never met my parents. Well, he had only met Olivia and CeCe, my two betas. Brandon didn't do the whole _"__Meet the parents"_ thing, nor did I. But I strangely _wanted _to introduce him to my family and me to his family. And I definitely wanted my parents to meet another boy so they'll stop talking about Derrington so much.

"Me?" Brandon finally asked.

"I mean, you don't have to. I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to.."

"Um…" Brandon seemed like he was going to get sick, "Sure?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, um Friday sounds great."

"You're serious?"

"Were you serious?"

"Yeah, so you're coming?"

"Yes, Alicia," he laughed.

My phone buzzed again, telling me I had two texts.

Olivia and CeCe.

"Hey, I gotta go. Call me when you get home."

"Sure."

As I hung up the phone and quickly changed, I mentally made note of the date.

The day Alicia Rivera got back on top.

_**Kristen,**_

"_So, Kristen, are you seeing anyone?"_

"_Well, I'm workin on it."_

As I continued to read through the proof of the US Weekly article on us, I thought about just who I had been talking about.

Dempsey.

Since that stupid party, I had thought that Dempsey and I wouldn't get together. But, today, I thought that we really could. And it was a good feeling to think that my crush wouldn't just stay a crush forever.

I couldn't help but smile as I thought about Dempsey.

I hadn't seen him much since I had found out that Daphne had been his pity-date, but I had tried pretty much everything to see him. But, every time I tried, he was busy babysitting his little brothers or something like that.

"Whatcha reading?" someone nudged me.

I jumped out of surprise and looked at the person who had just sat beside me on the bench.

"_Dempsey?_"

He smiled as he motioned towards the folder in my hands.

"Hey," he smiled, peering over my shoulder to look at the folder, "What's this?"

"The proof of the US Weekly Article on the Alpha-War."

"Mind if I see?"

I shrugged and handed him the papers.

But his eyes stopped at the part I had just read.

"_I'm workin on it_?"

"Shut up," I took the papers back, blushing.

"That was the best line you had?"

"Shut up."

"Fine, you ready to play?" he nodded towards the soccer field.

Right…

I had told him that I wanted to play soccer to get him here.

Dang it.

"Uh…" I looked down to my adorable sandals, "Just let me go change into my sneakers."

Dempsey raised his eyebrows, probably still trying to understand why I wasn't already wearing them, but he finally nodded for me to go.

As soon as I was out of sight, I broke out into a run to my car, and I looted it to find the cute work out top that I had just bought so that I didn't look like the idiot who wore a white tank top to a soccer game, even though I was.

Seeing that no one was there, I changed in the car and quickly began to tie up my brand new cleats, a gift from my mother to remind me that I needed to pick a soccer team.

I was about to break out into a run back to the field when someone laid their hand on my back as I was walking there.

I jumped and turned back to see Griffon smirking.

"Trying to impress Dempsey?" he held up the price tag.

"Was that seriously on my shirt?"

He nodded, and I moaned.

"Thanks, Griffon," I nudged him, and he shrugged.

"Hold on," he stopped me for a second and handed me breath spray.

I raised my eyebrows.

"Did you have sushi or something?" he smelled closer to my mouth, and I hit his shoulder.

"No."

"It smells like it," he motioned towards the breath spray.

"I don't need it, Griffon."

"It's not that bad," he told me, spraying his own mouth with the spray before finally handing it back to me.

"Fine," I took it and sprayed my own mouth, cringing as I always did when I had the bad tasting spray, and I shoved it back to him.

And then I looked towards the field, where Dempsey was staring at me and Griffon.

Wait, did he think-?

No, he couldn't.

Right?

"I'll see you later, Griffon," I told him, not waiting for him to say goodbye before running towards the soccer field, still thinking about the look on Dempsey's face.

Was that-?

Could that have been…_jealousy?_

_**So Alicia is back in the Game.**_

_**Dylan knows what happened with Cam and Claire.**_

_**Massie isn't pregnant.**_

_**Kristen things Dempsey might be jealous.**_

_**And then the most dramatic of all….**_

_**Griffon always carries Breath Spray in his pocket!**_

_**;D**_


	16. This Is My Party Cry If You Want To

_**Claire,**_

Blowing on my newly painted green nails, I watched the rest of the girls.

Kristen was getting a punk rock make-over from Layne, joking about Dempsey and how completely jealous he was. Massie, twisting around the new charm James had given her for her golden charm bracelet, was ordering the unhealthy pizza that she would have banned from a sleepover a few years ago, and Bay was typing away on her laptop as she "worked", though I had seen the contact of Griffon on the top of her IM.

But I was really staring at Dylan, who was throwing a few peanuts into her mix of different candies to form "Dylan's Famous Trail Mix", a treat that was available at every Die-Hard-Reality-TV-Show-Fan's sleepover party.

My mind went over the text I had gotten right after Massie had announced her ultra-wonderful news that she didn't have a bun in the oven.

Cam.

Ever since I had made that mistake, I had blacked out everyone.

I just ignored the subject.

I wasn't ready to admit it had actually happened.

So, I definitely couldn't admit that to _others._

I glanced down at my cell phone and looked at the last text I had sent to Erik.

We hadn't dated for long, but it was still cheating no matter how I tried to spin it.

And a million times worse, it was cheating with _Cam._

The very reason I had decided to give Erik a chance!

If _anyone_ didn't deserve this, it was definitely Erik.

He knew I was crazy, and he knew that I was still mixed up after my break-up with Cam a few years ago. But he didn't care. Erik gave me a chance, and I loved him for that. I _really _did…

But Cam had always been my weakness…

I closed my eyes and thought back to the dreaded morning where I had realized what a mistake I had done.

I hadn't seen Cam since, by design. Every time he was even in my line of vision, I hid behind something- or_ someone_ if I had to.

When I blinked my eyes open, I saw that Dylan was looking back up at me as she chewed her favorite chocolate bubble gum with _Dylan_ imprinted on it, a gift from Josh on a _'I love you, so why not treat you?'_ gift that Josh was known for.

I nodded towards the door of Bay's office, and Dylan got up and followed me out while the other girls were teasing Bay about her obvious crush on Griffon.

Almost tripping on the platform heels that CeCe had left by the door when she was forced to spend a weekend with her dad, Dylan and I headed towards the backyard, which reeked of the cigarettes that CeCe had been sneaking in before stomping up stairs and turning on the music in her room as loud as it would go.

"So, what's up?" Dylan asked as she pulled herself to sit on the railing.

I hesitated, biting my nails as I reclined onto an iron bench.

"How did you know?"

"I don't know…" Dylan shrugged, knowing immediately what I was talking about, "I remembered what you were like when you were hiding things. And the only thing you would really hide would be…"

Drew trailed off, pushing her carnation red hair behind her ear, toying with her earings.

I felt sick as I thought about the fact that I had actually _done_ it, not that it was a crazy dream.

…and that I had_ liked _it, missed him, and wanted even more.

"So, are you two together or anything?"

"No!" I said it a little too fast.

Dylan stared at me and probably wondering if I was keeping another secret.

"I mean, no, it's Cam_. Cam!_ I could never stay with him. Look what happened the last time!"

"You were together for almost four years."

"And I haven't gotten over it for two freakin' years!"

Dylan nodded, and I looked out to the perfectly manicured backyard, and then I froze.

"Ohmuhgawd," I whispered to myself.

I saw the flash of blonde extensions from the balcony above, and a cigarette fell onto the side table beside me.

But in the commotion, I saw her wide smirk as she looked down at me.

_**Massie,**_

"Don't mope, Dee," I pushed his black iced coffee towards him, "It really is okay."

Derrington looked up at me, and I could have sworn that it wasn't him.

His brown eyes were dull, and he had refused to get out of his pajamas this morning. It had been all I could do to drag him out of bed this morning and push him in the car to go pick up some coffee. And nothing could seem to make him perk up.

I hadn't heard from him since the big fight with Alicia. He just locked himself in his room and threw a soccer ball around, taking food whenever his maid, Jessie, left a plate at his door. I wasn't even sure if he had showered in the last few days.

So, after a while, I finally decided to come and check on him.

My heart began to ache as I looked into his sad brown eyes.

I bit my lip as I surrendered my apple fritter.

I had to admit that I did kind of miss thinking I was pregnant because I was never felt guilty when I bought sweets. I usually had a rule of only eating the sweets when sweetheart James bought them for me, which he actually did a lot. But I had gotten used to buying it, not for me but for the little baby that I found out I didn't actually have.

Derrington smiled weakly, nudging me from across the table.

It was nice to see him slightly back to normal.

I was beginning to miss my little Derrington.

"She told me that I was trying to make it like she had a problem because she dumped me!" Derrington complained as he bit into the apple fritter, "I mean, doesn't she have problems? I am the only person who freakin' gives a damn about her and she pushes me away!"

I stared as Derrington continued to ramble on about Alicia and how stupid she was to have let him go.

"For Christ's sake, her boyfriend is cheating on her with some tramp," Derrington finished, realizing he had ran out of apple fritter.

Derrington hesitated, sipping at his iced coffee now.

"What?" he shrugged.

"You loved her, huh?" my eyes softened towards the blonde, and he looked out to the busy mall.

He finally shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, I think I did. But I really hate her. I _really_ do," Derrington laughed a little bit, "She's me. We are exactly alike, and I know I don't need that."

I shrugged, knowing he was right.

If it wasn't for James kind disposition, I would have gone off the deep end millions of times.

"You know, I'm realizing that you were the best relationship I ever had," Derrington laughed.

"Oh, Sweetie," I patted his hand, "That's just sad. _So _sad, Baby.

He laughed, and I smiled knowing that I had finished the job.

"Come on, Derrick, you need a long, long shower. With a lot of soap. And lot of shampoo," I ran my hand through his oily hair, "And then we're going to get you back into real clothes."

Derrick looked down at his pajamas.

"You don't like this? I think it's a new trend," he smirked, and I playfully pushed him.

"And then you'll be right back to your little womanizing ways soon enough, I promise. Actually, I have a party for you," I reached into my bag and brought out my cell phone to look at the date, "It's right after the premiere of Wicked. The itGirls won't be there, and I'll be hosting, so I can be your wing woman."

"You're right, Massie. You are absolutely right. The only way I'll ever really move on is to get back out there," Derrington happily agreed, and I nodded.

"Absolutely."

He was beginning to smile when I took a good look at him and noticed he needed a shower _immediately_ now that he had broken out of the trance.

"Alright, up, up," I got up from the chair, and I pulled on Derrington's arm, "You need a shower. Like run you through the sprinklers right now."

In response, he stuck his tongue out at me, and I rolled my eyes as I began to lead him through the mall.

To annoy me, he wrapped his arms around me, and I crinkled my nose to pretend that I was disgusted with how he smelled, even though the strong scent of his aftershave actually made me want to get closer. Derrington pulled me so close that I had to rest my head on his shoulder.

"I now understand why James hates you so much, Derrick."

"James is no fun," he hip-bumped me, "How the hell did you end up with _him_?"

"Mistletoe," I smiled as I told him the same answer I had told my friends when they asked about how James and I had ended up together, but James didn't seem as impressed as the _Click_ had been as they had me recount it all.

"So, you were_ forced_ to kiss him!"

I rolled my eyes and decided to watch the passing people instead.

It was almost funny how they all stared at us like that.

And then Derrington leaned down to kiss the top of my head, and my thoughts became so fuzzy that I didn't notice the camera flashing.

_**Kristen,**_

"We're hungry, Kwisten!" Theo tugged at my peach sundress.

"_Weally_ hungry!" Tommy held his stomach and acted like he was going to die if I didn't finish this peanut butter sandwich that exact second.

As I spread the strawberry jelly on the other slice of bread, I watched as a chunk of it fell on my brand new leather ankle boots that Layne had passed down to me after she decided that black was too hot for the summer. I grimaced for the outfit I had chosen.

When Dempsey had invited me over, I had assumed that it might _finally _happen, that he would make his move after forever of waiting. So, I went shopping with Massie, and I spent almost an hour picking out the vintage lace dress with the large slit in the back.

And things were going as planned until Dempsey's parents had called that their babysitter had canceled and they were out of town for the weekend (another tip off that I thought he would finally do something), and the wonderful big brother Dempsey hadn't been able to say no like always. And, though that happened to be one of the things I loved most about him, I wanted to kill him.

I quickly finished the last sandwich, and I quickly handed them to the hungry twins, who ran off to the living room.

And then the door opened again, and Dempsey appeared carrying a bunch of groceries, smiling weakly.

I loved those kids, and it had been fun to take care of them. But I'm not sure I could take it much longer.

"They weren't bad, were they?" Dempsey asked hopefully since he hadn't wanted to leave me here with them.

I hid my shoe.

"Eh, they're four," I shrugged, and Dempsey smiled.

"Not what I had planned for today," Dempsey admitted, and I forced myself not to moan since I knew I'd kill the kids.

"Hey, I get it _completely_."

_Not_, I mentally added.

Dempsey smiled thanks, and I dug my nails into my palm while he wasn't looking.

To Do List:

-Get a new pair of Nikes

-Wear that insanely expensive new dress _somewhere_ so Mom won't freak out

-Get in touch with my soccer coaches to see if my offers are still there

-And murder the babysitter in her sleep

"Kris?"

"Hmm?"

Dempsey pointed to my hand, which was turning red from digging my nails into my palm and almost bleeding, and I quickly put my hand into my pocket.

"Uh, sorry. Just thinking."

He nodded, not sure if he should smile or stare, so he just stared.

"Thinking about?"

You.

"The offers," I pushed my Katniss-Braid out of my eyes.

He nodded, knowing how I was about the offers.

I wanted to be a soccer player. God, I really did love it.

But did I love it that much?

I wanted to be a researcher, and I wanted to help people. And I didn't want to be stuck in something I didn't truly, absolutely love.

I knew that I had always loved soccer and that I probably always would, but I didn't want to look back one day when I'm retired with my suburban home with my little blonde babies running around the backyard with a soccer ball and think that I was forced into that life.

Dempsey pulled himself onto the countertop and looked at me, and I smiled to myself as I remembered the times when I used to only want to talk to him.

Since we lived right near each other in the apartment building, I would send a text to Dempsey, who would get it immediately, and we would make arrangements to meet on the rooftop to talk. Or, if it was really late at night, I would come in and sit on the countertop while he made his special hot-chocolate with eco-friendly paper cups that he loved so much.

It felt weird to be here again.

For him to sit on the countertop while I paced back in forth in the kitchen, searching for a logical way to fix my problem while he worked from the heart.

Things were different, yes. _Everything _was different actually, even the apartment since they had moved to an eco-friendly-material-made mansion when they decided to start their new life with the late-in-life twins.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Dempsey asked as he ran his fingers through his spiky brown hair.

"I don't know, and I'm not even sure it matters anymore. After everything I did for soccer…" I closed my eyes as I thought about the soccer ball tattooed on my waist, a drunken mistake that I had gotten on my eighteenth birthday with my friends when we all went to Mexico for my birthday.

"Well, do you want to regret your life?" Dempsey asked, "I mean, who wants to waste time?"

I stared into his big beautiful brown eyes, and he hesitated as he thought about what he had just said.

_Kiss me, kiss me_, _Let him freakin' kiss me_, I began to pray.

And he was getting closer to me when the kitchen door swung open.

"Dempsey, Tommy fell in the pool!" Theo tattle-taled, and Dempsey closed his eyes, trying to keep from killing the younger twin.

"I have to go kill Tommy," Dempsey smiled towards me.

I nodded for him to go, and he hesitantly left with his younger brother, leaving me in the kitchen alone.

I scrambled around to find junk food passed all of the health food, but I finally found Dempsey's mom stash of chocolate.

My fingers were fast as they ripped off the plastic, and I bit into the chocolate, letting the taste run over my tongue.

To Do List:

-Get a new pair of Nikes

-Wear that insanely expensive new dress somewhere so Mom won't freak out

-Get in touch with my soccer coaches to see if my offers are still there

-Murder the babysitter in her sleep

-Buy chocolate

-Rent a movie

-Invite friends over. It's not like I'm doing anything tonight…

_**Alicia,**_

"Daddy, this is Brandon Ramero," I smiled as I leaned on Brandon, "He's going to be a Political Science major, just like you were, Daddy."

I made sure to say Daddy as much as possible since I was introducing him to my boyfriend.

Brandon seemed hesitant, but he shook my father's hand anyway.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rivera."

My father gave him a good long once-over.

"And what do you plan on doing with Political Science?"

"I want to go to law school actually, defense attorney. And maybe become a judge or even politician later on."

_Right answer._

Brandon and my father began to talk, and I quickly excused myself to go back with the girls.

I liked finally having the spring in my step back.

It felt right to be on top, and my score had gone up, too. When I was confident I would win, so were other people. I was tired of being held back with my Middle School Drama, and I was back to being the alpha I always was.

Now, I just have to wait for everyone else to see that, too.

While I _had_ gotten back into my groove, Massie never lost it. The perfect alpha just kept on being…well, _perfect_. Everything she wore became a trend. There was never a hair out of place or even a smudge of her make-up. Massie was a Westchester Goddess, and I knew I could never take that away from her.

But I was determined to join her in the Devine Ranks.

I began to wonder what my clique would say about me as I joined them standing by the grand door.

Would they say she was an amazing leader? Or the spawn of hell because I stopped leading them?

We all knew that this was our last summer together. I'd be off in dance school, becoming one of the greats like Triple Threat and Skye Hamilton. Olivia would probably stay here, being a party animal until she finally traded her dancing shoes for a pair of sensible nude heels to begin searching for a husband. And CeCe never spoke about her plans, but I knew that she would rule our little town when I left.

But we never spoke about leaving each other. We knew it would happen, but we never spoke our fears to each other.

"Score for Alicia," Olivia smiled as she nodded towards my father, who was making it obvious that he approved of my choice.

Before I could respond, CeCe flipped her pin-straight blonde hair and smiled.

"_Uber-gossip_."

Uber-gossip.

I hadn't heard her say that since her break-up with Cam.

Bay and Cam had always been her connection to gossip, and, without them, she had no scoop.

And, even though Blake had also once been in the loop, everyone had taken Cam's side after hearing that Blake had been having an affair with CeCe, and he had been cut off from their social scene. And CeCe had no one to lean back on, so she had stayed with the LBR until she could find someone better.

"How many points?" I asked, almost jokingly.

"_Two_ hundred."

Two hundred is our maximum.

"You think you have something worth two hundred?" I crossed my arms at her, waiting for my Beta to admit that she was being overdramatic.

"No, I _know_ I do," CeCe smiled as she twisted her ring with _CeCe_ written in small diamonds.

I was tempted to ask what she had that would be so amazing, but I remembered my mother's warning to keep this dinner casual and fun.

But then I remembered that I didn't have long until Piper Amelia Rivera joined our little family, and I sent that option to hell.

I was leaning into my friend to get the details when the doorbell rang again.

"I thought everyone was here," I looked around to my assorted family and friends, but my mother smiled that this had been her plan.

"I'll just go get the door, everyone you can go on in," she motioned for the dining room, but the itGirls stayed put with their alpha.

I picked up a glass of Champaign since MoMo, which is what my grandmother insisted being called because "Grandma makes me sound _old_, Baby. I'm _MoMo_,", was sitting with my cousin, River, and telling her about how she was so pretty but needed to stop dying her hair blonde. While my parents went by the European laws of drinking when you're eighteen, MoMo was completely American on that point.

But I didn't get a sip because I dropped the glass when I saw who was at the door.

"Derrick!" my mother smiled, "The man of the hour! Alicia never would have done nearly as well without you!"

I wanted to make some snide comment, but I was too shocked.

No one had seen Derrington since my fight with him. He went into a sort of hiding, and it had been better that way. It gave me time to move on, to push past the ghost of Derrick Herrington.

But I realized now that I hadn't had enough time to really move on, if I ever really would.

"Alicia, look at the mess you made," my mother shook her head, still holding Derrick's arm as she led him in, and his brown eyes widened.

From what I had heard around, he had been a mess. But he looked fine now.

Perfect, even.

"Um, where are the books you needed me to pick up, Mrs. Rivera?" Derrick asked, not taking his eyes off me.

"Oh those are in the dance studio, but you just must stay for dinner, Derrick. Mazy made this amazing chick dish, oh I can't remember the name of it, but it is marvelous. Besides, we need our hero here, Derrick!" my mother smiled, about to lead him on to the dining room, but he stopped her.

"Why not?"

Derrington frantically tried to come up with an excuse, but I knew my mom well enough to know that she had him.

"Alicia, talk him into staying."

I was frozen.

"Derrick, we're here," Olivia smiled, flipping her blonde curls, "And Brandon's here, too. It'll be fun."

If anything, he wanted to leave even more now.

Fun?

This would be a _nightmare._

"Uh," Derrington realized he was trapped, "I guess."

"Wonderful! Mazy already had a place set out for you!" my mom smiled, and I glared at her.

Ignoring me, she led the four of us into the dining room, where everyone stared at the new guest.

"This is Alicia's tutor, Derrick. He's a genius!" my mom clapped on Derrick's back.

"I'm not sure about that, Mrs. Rivera," Derrick smiled weakly, with Brandon staring at him.

"And so modest," my mom smiled at Derrick, "CeCe, can you move over for Derrick here?"

CeCe looked to me, asking if it was okay. But my mom was alpha in this house.

"Sure," CeCe finally moved over to the next seat, and Derrick awkwardly took his seat next to me.

"So," MoMo leaned over the table while Brandon kept talking with my dad, "How do you know Derrick other than tutoring?"

I felt sick as I realized that Derrick was the new star of the dinner, and I'd have to forget all of those facts about Brandon I had memorized to make conversation.

"We knew each other in middle school," Derrick answered for me.

The entire family-and my betas- looked towards me to hear the story.

"Derrick dated a few of my friends," I shrugged as I took a long drink of water.

"I'm sure he did," MoMo, who was a known cougar, smiled at Derrick, who tried to pretend he wasn't disgusted. Had it been another time, I would have teased him about it and tried to make him more comfortable.

"We got to know each other because I was trying to set him up with one of my friends."

"But then I went and dated her other best friend."

MoMo laughed with Derrick, and I almost threw up the Luna bar I had eaten after dance practice.

Massie…

I was so consumed with my thoughts that I barely noticed when MoMo asked if we had been friends since middle school.

"No," I said it too fast, so she stared.

"When her friend and I broke up, my ex got custody of Alicia," Derrick smiled, and MoMo chuckled again.

"They also went to Miami together!" Olivia offered, and Derrick glared at her before I could.

"Oh really?"

Now everyone stared.

"That Semester at Sea thing. We both got in, and we were friends over there," I began to long for the glass of Champaign I had broken in the hall, "But we kind of fell out of touch when we got home."

I tried to end the conversation of Miami before one of us made a mistake and that little secret came out.

"But, from what I heard, you'd never know they were there! No one ever saw them," Olivia continued, and I bit my tongue not to reach over and strangle her.

"That's because we were the only ones who actually went to class instead of the beach," Derrington smirked.

_And because there was an overflow of boys and they gave Derrick one of the rooms for the teachers, with the lock and no roommate, _I mentally added.

Everyone smiled, and I could feel my world begin to crash around me as I realized that I wouldn't get out of this dinner with my secrets still intact.

I had to get him alone before we couldn't stand staying quiet about what was really wrong any longer.

"Oh my God, Derrick! The necklace!"

"The necklace?" Derrington looked at me like I was crazy.

I stomped on his toe.

"Oh my God, the necklace! I forgot! Sammie would kill me!" Derrington played along.

"Let's go get it," I was standing up when my mom stopped me.

"Now?"

"We'll forget it again, Mom. It is his sister's good luck charm, and she let me borrow it for the test."

"She's had it since she was seven, Mrs. Rivera. Our great aunt gave it to her, and she just died. My sister would just be crushed if I lost it, and I keep forgetting it," Derrick begged, and my mother's brown eyes softened.

"Alright, just don't take too long, you two."

_Don't worry…_

Derrington and I tried to seem worried as we hurried out of the dining room and to the back door, and I ignored how I noticed everyone jumping out of their chairs to go to the window in the kitchen that showed out to the patio.

"What?" Derrington crossed his arms as soon as I closed the door behind us.

"Let's just get it all out," I told him quickly.

"What are you talking about?"

"It! Everything! Before we start screaming in front of my freakin' grandmother!"

Derrington just kept staring.

"There's nothing to talk about, Alicia."

"That! That right there! Alicia! Not doll face. Or baby. Or anything. _Alicia_," I began, waiting for him to find that fire he had in abundance.

"That's your name, isn't it?"

I glared at him.

"What do you want me to freakin say, Alicia?"

Only he didn't say _freakin._

"You left me, okay? Then I get tangled up in it again, and you do the same damn thing again!"

Now that he had spoken up, he couldn't stop.

"And for what? For _him_? That cheating asshole? And those dumbass friends who never care about you?" his voice became a yell.

"Great! Now I have another problem!" I yelled right back.

"Yeah, you do! I am the only one who gives a damn about you, and I'm the one you treat like shit!"

"You're not the only one who cares about me!"

"Yes, I am, and you know it! And you don't want that! Because I point out the facts! I want to help you! And you don't want help. You just want some boy toy for the cameras!"

"I do not!"

"Name me one thing you love about Brandon!"

I stopped.

One thing…

Well, he… he…

I had nothing.

"You know, every day, you told me something new you loved about me! And how long have you been with him? And you've got nothing, huh?"

"God, why does everything go back to Miami?"

"Because you won't face it!"

"Fine! We dated! We broke up! I faced it, happy now?"

"God, you are such a bitch!" Derrington yelled, throwing his arms in the air in such exasperation.

"Then why are you so in love with me that you're creating illnesses that I have all the time?"

Derrington balled his fists to keep from strangling me.

"Is it so hard for you to believe that you actually are _human_? That there are things wrong with you and that there are people who want to help you?"

"Right, a guy who calls me a bitch every ten minutes!"

"Well, maybe if you didn't _act_ like a bitch, I wouldn't call you one."

I couldn't help but slap him, and he froze, his big brown eyes wide with shock.

Regret flooded me as I looked at the red mark on his cheek, and I suddenly just wanted to kiss him in an apology.

"Well, I think we got it all out, huh, Alicia?"

I felt my eyes water as I opened my mouth to apologize, but he was already up the stairs and towards the door.

I chased after him, but he had already gotten almost to the front door when I found him.

Everyone had scrambled to get back in their seats, but they had gotten the order wrong.

"Good bye, Mrs. Rivera. Thank you for inviting me," Derrington was smiling at my mother and about to open the door when I stopped him.

"You can't just stomp out of here!" I suddenly didn't care about what everyone stopped.

Derrington's jaw tightened as he turned back to look at me.

"What _can_ I do, Alicia? I can't get involved in your problems, but I can't just watch as your life falls to pieces! I can't stay, but I can't go! I can't take no interest in you, but I can't try to help you! I can't be friends with Massie, but I can't be friends with you! And I can't be in love with you, but I can't not be in love with you either!" Derrington screamed, apparently not caring who the hell knew now.

"What the hell is your problem?" I screamed.

"You! And you have been my problem for a long time actually. But your problem. Your problem is all this bullshit!" Derrington motioned towards the dining room, "Cut through all of it and give me a call, okay!"

With that, he spun around to the door, but I couldn't seem to let him go.

"Derrington-!"

"My name is _Derrick!"_ he cut me off.

I froze.

Derrick…

It was really over this time.

It-it couldn't be.

Had I really lost him? _Forever_?

I suddenly wanted to run and apologize, to forget everything and just start over. But he had meant what he said. If I ever wanted him, I had to become the Alicia he fell in love with.

And I didn't know who she was anymore…

Derrick seemed to wait for me to say something else, but I didn't have anything I could say.

I was out of lines.

I was out of witty comebacks and nasty remarks.

I could only stand there and watch as he slammed the door and hear the roar of his Jaguar and listen to him drive off.

And then I was left there to be stared at by my family.

But I didn't have enough energy to put on a show for them, not even MoMo.

I picked up a stray glass of Champaign left in the hall, and I downed it before throwing the expensive crystal to the tile my parents had put in to add a Spanish feel to the mansion.

I picked up my keys from the jacket in the closet, and I left without another word.

_**I was going to do a Dylan POV, but I realized how long it would take me to find something for her and I felt like it was kind of done for this chapter.**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Claire,**_

"Unless you want your secret coming out, you'll do it, Claire," CeCe crossed her arms over her black jumpsuit, making her diamond bangles clang against her chain belt.

Her fake blonde hair was tied up in a sleek ponytail, with a diamond pin holding it in place. Her earrings looked like they cost the same price as my car, and she looked weird without her diamond necklace that Cam had given her for her birthday.

I could tell that CeCe still held it against me for telling Cam about her and Blake, but that was the least of my worries.

"I won't do that to Massie," I told her defiantly.

"Let's face it, Claire," CeCe leaned back in her chair, "I'm not threatening just your budding relationship. I'm threatening _everything."_

She wasn't wrong, but I didn't think she was smart enough to see it.

"When Erik finds out, he'll break up with you, sure. But what about everything else?"

She smiled as she took out a zebra print compact with _itGirls_ written in gold, reapplying her red lipstick.

"Like your friends? How would your little Click feel that you didn't tell them such an important thing? Isn't that what friends are for?" CeCe snapped her compact shut, "Or your job? The star of the play vs. the stage hand? I think we both know who stays. And how would that look on your college applications?"

CeCe leaned over the table to look me dead in the eyes.

"Oh, and what about your dad?"

I froze.

"How would Daddy feel if he found out his little baby girl did this? Not only did she _cheat_ on one of the only nice guys she's ever dated, but with the angle of death, Cameron! The one who broke his baby girl's heart," her lips formed a cruel smile, "And, when your dad finds out that you hooked up with him, you won't even have time to pack your bags before you'll be on a flight to Orlando to spent your senior summer blasting the air conditioner to the coldest it would go in your grandmother's condo in Florida."

My eyes were as wide as possible.

I had always assumed that CeCe had gone to the dark side and forgotten her dork self and become a DBB (Dumb Beta Bitch).

But now I saw that she was still that smart girl raising her hand high in Algebra, pushing her glasses up and glaring at how pretty her sister naturally was and planning her rise to the top. Just countless plastic surgeries, expensive make-up, an unlimited credit card, and a dye job later.

I began to wonder how long CeCe had been planning this.

And was she looking out to see that the _itGirls_ won or that she didn't lose?

"And don't think I won't be perfectly happy with returning the favor after you told Cam about me and Blake. Poetic justice, eh?" CeCe smiled as she took a sip of her margarita.

"Don't blame me because you couldn't keep your skirt on."

"You think I liked being the replacement Claire? I did what I had to do to get to where I am now, Claire. So what if I needed to take the edge off," CeCe defended herself, "You do what ya gotta do."

"Where you are now? Beta?"

"This isn't about popularity, Claire. This is about _power_. And the PC has been in power too long."

"What if I tell your Alpha about your plan then? Bay told me what you've been doing behind her back, and Alicia doesn't take betrayal. What makes you think she won't kick you to the curb?"

"Puh-Lease," CeCe rolled her eyes, "Alicia is too busy being caught between two boys to take notice of what I'm doing."

CeCe reached inside her black Prada clutch and brought out her cell phone with _Hottie With a Dancer's Body_ in gold, the new catchphrase for BADASS dancers.

"Now, do I need to phone GG or not?"

GG.

Alyssa.

She was her own free agent now.

We had lost touch with her a while back, and she was determined to make us all look bad.

"You have twenty-four hours, Claire," CeCe stood, "Don't disappoint."

_**Massie,**_

"I'll ignore it," I whispered to James as the phone kept on ringing and ringing, and James lips formed a smile as he pulled me closer again.

James.

What on earth would I do without him?

When I was younger, I would have steered away from a relationship like this.

We had a relationship where watching a movie with Chinese suits me just as well as going to the fanciest restaurant in town. Where sleeping in instead of spending a lot of time getting ready makes sense since I know James doesn't care if I wear make-up or not. Where I miss him even if we've only been apart for a few hours.

I didn't like having to depend on people.

I still didn't.

But depending on James was different.

James, unlike everyone else, never let me down.

He never betrayed me for the new hot-and-now alpha. He didn't pretend to be sick when I wanted to go shopping so that he could go and buy the last of the new prada bag that I had my eye on. And he definitely never screwed me over because of a boy.

James was my best friend, and, even though he likes to joke that he would chose Robin over me, I know I am his best friend.

He is my little English Gentleman.

And I'm his crazy Yankee Girl.

Before now, we rarely had time for each other.

Which is why I loved Fridays so much.

I didn't have to work, and he had only half-days.

"_This is Massie_," the recording began, and James's adorable British accent came onto the recording, "_And James. Leave a message, and we'll phone back."_

The machine beeped, and Claire's voice came on the line.

"Call me back. I'm freaking out."

James broke away for a minute to nod to the phone, silently asking if I was going to call back, but I shook my head.

"I'll call her back," I pulled him back.

But then the phone started up again.

And then my cell phone chimed.

"Take it," James whispered, "I can wait."

As he walked back to the living room, where there was a soccer game on, I grumbled as I reached for my cell phone, which was the closest to me.

"Hello?"

"Massie!"

_Kristen._

I glanced over at the caller ID on my home phone.

_Layne._

"What's going? Everyone is blowing up my phone."

"You don't know? I thought Claire called."

"I missed the call. Why? What happened?" I asked as I pulled myself onto the barstool.

"Cam and Claire!" Kristen still seemed shocked herself.

"What do you mean _Cam and Claire_? Fighting again?" I asked, hoping that they had stopped that by now.

Claire and Cam had their space now.

Claire with Erik, being the cute little couple they were.

And Cam… well, Cam accepted what had happened and wished the couple good luck.

It still felt weird to think that, a few weeks ago, Claire was losing her mind because she was still in love with Cam and that he was with CeCe.

And now CeCe's been dumped and branded _Slut_. Cam is alone for the first time in about two years. And Claire is dating one of the coolest guys in town, Erik Gomez.

Everyone is in love with Erik.

He is the bad boy who everyone adores.

And he loves Claire so much that he is able to take on all of her baggage, including having to work with her ex, which is what she needs and deserves.

"Opposite."

My eyes widened.

"Opposite?"

Like as in friends opposite?

… or _together_ opposite?

"Opposite," Kristen repeated, not giving me any clues as to what she meant.

"They're friends?" I asked hopefully.

"Even more awkward."

"So, like _together_ opposite?"

"Even worse!"

"Worse than Cam and Claire getting back together?"

Was there even such a thing?

"One night stand."

My jaw dropped.

Cam? Claire?

One-night stand?

"When? How? What the hell?" I asked, still unable to believe it.

"A_ week_ ago!"

"A week! And she's telling us now?"

"She wasn't going to tell anyone, but… well, that's why we're all calling," Kristen hesitated.

"Kristen, what is it?" I moaned, looking back to James who was watching me from the sofa.

So much for fun Friday…

"CeCe knows."

_**Kristen,**_

_Are you busy today? The twins are at Karate, and the big soccer game is on._

_-Dempsey_

I moaned.

Why was today the day he finally didn't have to babysit?

I had been waiting for Dempsey all summer, and I was beginning to see that we had made more progress when I thought he was dating Daphne than seeing that we are both into each other.

At this point, I was beginning to think over Massie's jokes about how she would set me up with Robin, her soccer friend from the UK, if Dempsey kept stalling.

I quickly typed back something before jamming my cell phone into my tote.

_Can't rehearsing lines with Dylan for the play. But I'll see you tonight, right?_

At least I had that to fall back on…

The play was big, yes, but not nearly as big as the after party.

I had spent hours shopping for both.

For the play, a cute pair of black skinny jeans. A blue half-sweater with a grey tank top underneath. And my slut heels.

And for the after party, a tangerine high-low dress that looked like a goddess had gone to get a spray tan in her dress. With of course, my slut heels so that Dempsey could stop calling me _Shorty._

The dress had been courtesy of a recruiter, who was so determined to get me on her team that she didn't mind if that meant buying an expensive dress in the team colors and fed-exing it to me with a pamphlet on how her team was made of the best of the best, even getting on team USA.

I turned off the rental car and started towards the music shop, adjusting my cardigan so that my friends wouldn't notice that I was wearing a sport's bra because I was on a jog when I got the call.

Cam and Claire.

It still felt weird to think that it had really happened.

And that the devil, AKA CeCe, knew.

Poor Claire…

Poor Cam.

Poor Erik!

Everyone's life got screwed up from this. But what would happen next?

And what did CeCe want in return?

The store was basically empty as I walked through the door, hearing the little bell chime.

Cam was supposed to work today, but I guess Layne called and gave Cam a heads up that Claire would be here. So, Anna was holding her head in her hand, humming along to _More Than This_ by One Direction, her all-time favorite band.

She glared at us all, knowing that we were the reason she was working today.

Anna hadn't liked us after Claire joined the Click.

And she had severed all ties after she called Claire "one of the idiot bitches without any substance that we have always hated!", thinking that Claire would come running back to her.

Instead, Claire left and came back an hour later with a box with _Anna's Stuff_ written in magic marker, shoving the box to her and showing her as she deleted her contact from her new _Sidekick._

"Kris," Bay seemed relieved to see me, putting her can of diet coke back on the table and jumping up to bring me over to the last chair.

"Where's Dylan?" I asked, looking towards Massie who was pulling her hair into a ponytail.

"She couldn't get out of practice," Claire answered for Massie.

And I glanced over to Claire.

She looked pale, and her hand shook as she held her bag of Gummy Feet, her favorite treat of all time. Claire tried to look like she was alright.

She wore her favorite pair of blue shorts with _Claire_ written into the right pocket. Her tee shirt for some photography camp fit her well, and she had put on extra make-up to make her look less pale.

But I knew Claire.

She shoved her cell phone underneath her leg, and I noticed the contact for Erik on the screen before she pressed the mute button.

"So, what's going on here?" I asked, taking my seat and tucking my purse underneath the chair, ignoring the ping that the scores for yesterday had just been updated.

This wasn't a time for GG.

"I'm guessing you know about Cam," Claire bit into a gummy, "And that you know why we're here."

I nodded.

"Claire, what did CeCe want?" Layne asked, unable to wait for Claire to tell us when she was ready, and Claire adjusted herself to have her back towards Anna, who was staring at her now.

"Blackmail."

"For what?" Bay urged, on the edge of her seat.

Claire took a deep breath.

"James."

Massie's eyes hardened.

"_James?"_

"That little bitch!" Bay said before Claire could respond.

"I don't get it. What does James have to do with anything?" I asked, and Massie seemed to agree with me.

"James is everything to me," Massie answered, crossing her arms.

"And Massie is everything to the Click winning. We tried without her, and we failed miserably. It _had_ to be Massie. If Massie is broken…" Bay trailed off.

"She wants me to cause trouble, Massie. Break you up. I don't know. Basically be her slave, do her bidding," Claire crossed her arms.

Massie's jaw tightened.

She wasn't sure how to react.

"What does she offer if you _don't_ do it?"

"Ruining my life basically."

Massie kept her eyes trained on her, silently asking for an explanation.

"She'll tell Erik. She'll get me fired, which will make trouble for my college applications, and then…" Claire nervously rubbed her arm, "She'll tell my _dad_."

Massie kept staring.

"He'll send me to Florida with my grandmother, and I won't be allowed to come home until it's time to go to college. And he'll hold it against me for years," Claire dug her nails into her arm.

"So, it's either you go home or I have trouble with my boyfriend," Massie tapped her French manicure on her iPhone.

It was kind of a cruel order for her since she and James had already been on edge with each other.

"We can fake it."

We all looked up to Massie.

"I don't know. Maybe I can talk to James. Convince him to make it look like we're fighting, or…" Massie moaned, "We might _actually_…"

_Fight._

"You don't have to. I can go back to Florida…"

But we all knew Claire was lying.

"I'll work on it," Massie shoved her iPhone into her Gucci.

We all stared, wanting to kill CeCe.

"I promised James I wouldn't take long. I'll see you at the play. By then I should have a plan."

_**Alicia,**_

Pulling my wet hair into a ponytail, I began to dry off.

_Miss you. Want to go to get some Sushi tonight?_

_-Ramero_

I put my phone back into my duffle bag.

After finding out about my history with Derrington, Brandon had suddenly gotten jealous and remembered that I didn't_ belong_ to him.

Suddenly, he was affectionate.

And I didn't much care, which made him even more desperate for my attention.

I was undecided, and, when I was undecided, I ran.

I got in my car and went somewhere.

The Hamptons.

The Spa.

Rent a hotel by the beach.

Anything.

Just get away…

Take a moment, get some fresh air. Think about it and make a decision.

But I couldn't.

If it hadn't been at the end of the summer, I could have escaped.

Run away.

Not now though…

Making a mental reminder to text Brandon back in forty minutes, when he would reach his peak of frustration, I pulled my bag on my shoulder, and I started towards the store in BADASS studios, where I paid for a new pair of dancing shoes and shoved them in my bag, too.

My car was waiting in my spot, reserved for captain of the dance team, and I sashayed towards it to anger Portia, a girl one year younger than me who had been eying my spot since she got a membership at BADASS Studios.

The BMW started perfectly, and I put on the radio as I pulled the car into reverse.

I got a good look at my expensive dress as I began to pull out of the parking lot, and I thought about going to the party.

But Derrington would be there…

I wanted to see him, but I also wanted to kill the SOB.

I was perfectly fine until he showed up, and then he had to go and change all the rules again.

He tried to make me into the old Alicia, the _Beta_. And I wasn't her anymore.

Derrington just couldn't accept that, and he went and screwed everything up for me because of that…

But at least he missed me.

Derrington didn't want me to be perfect all the time. To have to wear overly expensive dresses. To look perfect. To never screw up. To not have to be an Alpha _all the time._

"No, Alicia, you and Derrington are _nothing. _Absolutely nothing," I told myself as I sped up my car to the house.

Even if I wanted to be with Derrington, he didn't want to be with me. He wanted to be with the old Alicia, the _Beta_.

And he was still in love with Massie…

I felt sick as I thought back to the picture snapped up by Lewis, a photography major that CeCe had bribed into keeping an eye on Massie.

I had held onto the picture, knowing that it could be used later.

I had known that Derrington was probably still in love with Massie, but seeing it hurt like a knife.

It was only a kiss on the top of her head, but the way she melted into him? And how happy he looked? And how he went to her when he was hurting?

Anyone could see what was going on…

I was still thinking about how I had been screaming with Derrington when I found that I had reached the driveway to the Spanish-style mansion that I had always called home.

Slowly pulling into my parking spot, I moaned when I saw that both my mom's Range Rover and my dad's vintage Jag were in their spots, too.

Damn it.

I'll have to talk to them…

I had avoided them after what happened with me and Derrington.

Eventually, I had to talk to them, I know, but I still really didn't want to have to see them.

And I especially didn't want to see CeCe or Olivia.

Luckily, they weren't talking either. Olivia was with her new boyfriend, who she wouldn't admit to, and, considering her last secret boyfriend was our Chemistry teacher to pass the class, I didn't dare ask who it was. And CeCe had been on a manhunt so long that it was usual to not see her for a while.

Putting the keys to the car in my duffle, I started towards the house and hesitated before going upstairs.

Might as well get it out of the way.'

"Guys?" I wondered around the house before throwing my bag down to the floor, "Anyone home?"

"In the kitchen, Alicia."

Kitchen?

Mom?

What the hell?

I started towards the kitchen, putting my hands in my sweat-pant pockets.

As I walked in, I almost gasped.

My parents…

They were… _cooking._

"Are you guys _cooking_?"

My mom looked up from chopping peppers, and she nodded.

"Is Mazy sick or something?"

"She has the night off. We wanted to try to cook," my mom smiled, almost glowing as she went back to chopping a red pepper.

"Wanna help, Alicia? I could use some help with cookies."

I stared at my father.

"_Real cookies?_"

My father nodded as he put the cookie dough on the pan.

"But you don't allow real cookies," I looked to my mother.

Was this the Twilight Zone?

"Well, we're making an exception," my mother smiled, and I kept staring.

"Have you been in the liquor cabinet?"

"No, Alicia," my father laughed, "We just…"

He looked to my mom, and she nodded.

"We didn't realize how much this was bothering you, Alicia. We didn't even ask you how you felt about Piper. And other things are bothering you, too, Alicia. You were our baby first," my mom smiled weakly.

_And other things are bothering you, too._

Other things.

Derrick.

"We're sorry we never put it together, Alicia," my mom wrapped her hand around mine, "You needed us, and we weren't there."

"No, you were. You were," I nodded, "It was my fault it happened."

"We just thought it would be easier if you forgot."

It was…

"I know… you did what was best."

My parents smiled weakly.

"Oh no, I forgot about the play," my father suddenly remembered, "You can go, you know."

"Nah, I didn't really want to go anyway, but you don't have to cook," I motioned towards the pot that had burning spaghetti, "I'll order some pizza."

They smiled with relief.

"Okay, Baby."

"I'll get dressed, and we can work it out."

My parents nodded, getting started on getting the kitchen clean so that Mazy wouldn't freak out, and I rummaged through my bag for my cell phone as I went to my room.

_Busy. U can go to the play. Maybe sushi tomorrow?_

_Hottie With a Dancer's Body_

I pressed send and threw my phone into my closet so that I wouldn't be tempted to answer the phone when my friends all called, freaking out about how the Click was ruling tonight. They could have tonight, I couldn't beat them tomorrow.

For now, I slipped into my comfy jeans, a BADASS dance studio's tee shirt, and my microfiber green socks while they put on their expensive dresses. And I grabbed my laptop to order pizza while they grabbed their phones to report on all the drama.

The race ended this summer.

My family lasted _forever_.

**Dylan,**

"Good luck!" Massie smiled, hugging me tightly as she looked at me in my sweeping Galinda gown.

I only had about ten minutes before I needed to be on stage, but I wanted to see my girls.

They had all planned to look amazing at the party and have a change of clothes, but, somehow, Massie seemed to be rivaling my costume.

With her brown hair in her half-up and half-down hairdo ready to match her dress later, she looked like a goddess. Her black dress was mid-length and fit her perfectly without being too tight. This was probably the first time I had ever really seen her without her favorite long necklaces that James had given her, but they were in her bag to match her silver mini dress.

"I'm freaking out," I smiled wide, straightening my giant dress, "But excited."

"You'll be awesome!" Claire nodded.

"So, what's up with…?" I nodded towards Erik, who was still in make-up since he didn't come in until later.

"Well-" Claire's face fell.

"Don't worry. We have it taken care of," Massie cut her off, trying to keep me focused on how excited I was.

She didn't want me thinking about Claire and CeCe.

But I couldn't help it.

As I had heard from Layne when she came over while I was in make-up and told me what happened, our entire summer depended on CeCe right now. And I didn't like to think that the slut who already had a grudge against us was now in control of us.

"Alright, I gotta go get my seat," Bay hugged me one last time.

"With Griffon?"

She burned bright red.

"No…"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Just because I know he'll buy all the candy I want," Bay blushed, rubbing her arms, and I shook my head.

"I don't buy it," I sing-sang.

"Fine, I am hopelessly in love with him and want to spend as much time with him as I can! Will you people freakin' shut up about it?!"

We all stared, and Bay blushed again.

"I mean, I have a crush on him."

We all smiled and hugged her, but I had to stop when the costume designer yelled for me not to ruffle my dress.

"I love you guys, alright?" I smiled, my emotions bubbling over.

I couldn't decide if I should be scared or excited.

Or if I should shake or smile.

"Bye, Dylan," Layne nodded.

"Good luck!"

"You'll be great!"

"You look amazing!"

"Make us oroud!"

I waved goodbye to them, and they all were forced out by Claire as she went back into her job.

And, as she wished her boyfriend good luck, I stopped to look out at the growing crowd.

My hands were shaking as I drank some vitamin water, and I had just screwed the top back on when someone wrapped their arms around me.

"Boo."

I jumped and craned back to see who it was.

"Josh!"

Josh's lips formed a smile.

"I thought you weren't going to make it!" I hugged him tightly.

Josh and his sister had both spent the last week in the Hamptons visiting their grandparents after their grandmother used guilt to get them to come see them because they had gone to see their other grandparents and hadn't seen them.

It had been either he miss my sister's wedding, where he was supposed to be a groomsmen, or he might miss my play.

The show made a ruling on that and he packed up for his grandparents.

"You look…" Josh looked at me.

"Like a pastry," I looked down at my dress.

"I was going to say beautiful," Josh smirked, "But you said it, not me."

I laughed, and Josh's smile widened.

"Did you already get the understudy ready to take over while we're at the wedding?" Josh asked, knowing I kept forgetting about things like this.

"Yes," I rolled my eyes, "_And_ I picked up my dress. And I already approved my friends dress for the pictures. And I sent your tux to your house."

Josh's eyes widened that I was so prepared.

"I did things before you, you know."

He didn't need to know that my sister's assistant stepped in to help me since Drew was at the spa for the weekend and didn't need anything.

"Don't you dare kiss her," my make-up artist put her arm between us, "I spent forever getting her lipstick right. If you mess it up, I _will_ kill you."

Josh raised his arms in surrender and nodded to her.

"Good luck, Dylan."

"Thanks, Josh," I smiled as my make-up artist started to pull him back to his seat.

"Dylan, we need you in the bubble," one of the tech guys, Robby I think, started pulling me towards the stage, where I had to get ready for the opening number, and I breathed heavily as he strapped me in and made sure I wouldn't fall out, "Good luck out there. Remember not to rock it as you sing."

"I know," I nodded, holding my wand, "We've practiced this a million times."

This was my element.

While I was nervous as hell, I loved when the curtain drew back or when the director yelled action.

There was a rush to it.

Claire had often tried to explain it, I had never understood until my first real experience on television. I had been on but never really featured, and then my mom's reality TV show took off and I was America's favorite little redhead. And then I got addicted to that feeling I felt whenever I was on Extra, talking about how much drama was going to show up this season on our show.

But then my mom's agent signed me up for a feature spot on a Disney Channel TV show aimed at tweens, and I suddenly couldn't stop. I joined the drama club. I started auditioning for movies and television shows, earning me a regular spot on a CW soap opera for half a season.

By last year, it became official that I was an actress when my mother took me out of school and put me in an online school so that I could work on _Where We Went Wrong_, a romcom where I costarred as the teenage daughter trying to get her parents to look past their mistakes and start over again. The movie had been forgettable, and, after a month of being a great hit, fizzled out like movies before had done a million times.

But it had captured everyone's attention because of what my mother did.

It captured their attention because I wasn't America's Reality TV Darling anymore.

I was Dylan Marvil, and they would be hearing more about me.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," the director, Logan, nodded again, and I smiled, getting in to my character.

_Here goes nothing…_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Claire,**_

"You were ah-maz-ing!" I hugged Erik tightly, almost knocking off his blonde wig, and he smiled at me, kissing the top of my head.

"Thanks."

Erik….

I loved him, I really did.

And I couldn't understand why I had ever gone back to Cam like that.

He was Cam, the one who broke my heart. And Erik… well, Erik was everything I wanted, everything I needed, and he loved me.

He was _perfect._

"You okay, Claire?" he pushed my hair out of my eyes, and I hesitated.

I wanted to tell him everything.

About Cam. About CeCe blackmailing me and threatening to send me to Orlando for the rest of the summer. Even about Massie trying to work out how to make it look like I had done what CeCe had asked.

But I couldn't do it.

I wasn't the first girl to cheat on him.

Last year, he was dating Katarina, head of the drama team and a year older than him. "They are perfect for each other," everyone whispered through the school with a smile. And Erik had thought so, too. Well, until he showed up early once for drama club…

To make sure that she got into the arts school that she wanted to, her parents had gotten her a tutor, Spencer, from Westchester College. Spencer and Erik had been friends from their time on the soccer team in Middle school, and that had made the shock even worse when he found out that Spencer and Katarina had been having an affair since Christmas.

So Erik and cheating?

Well, they just didn't mix.

And I was really the first girl he had trusted since the Katarina Accident.

_And I did this to him…_

"Yeah, just thinking," I smiled weakly, guilt flooding me.

Erik opened his mouth to say something, but then someone else cut him off.

"Hey, Erik."

I froze.

Cam.

I looked back, and my worst fears were realized.

Cam, wearing the full black outfit, was hurrying towards Erik with a smile.

He looked just as perfect as he always did, maybe even better. His skin was Clearasil-flawless and tanned. His hair was a perfect mess, and he was wearing a baseball cap for his favorite soccer team. And he looked happier now that he had severed all ties with CeCe.

What was he doing?

Oh crap.

He couldn't… he just _couldn't_.

Could he?

I began to panic.

I had never thought about the possibility that Cam might actually tell Erik.

I mean, wasn't that in the guy code or something?

No one had ever told Cam about CeCe, and maybe he had some weird calling to tell Erik about me.

I couldn't decide if I should run away myself or if I should push Cam away, but, before I could reach a decision, Cam had made it to me and Erik.

Erik looked just as shocked as me to see Cam, but Cam ignored that, being the friendly guy he was.

Oh God, what is he going to say?

"Uh, hey, Cam," Erik nodded, and Cam just kept on smiling.

"I just wanted to tell you that you were awesome out there. I'm only working this play before we're off to the Hamptons for a family trip. And I didn't want to leave without telling you that you great."

"Thanks," Erik smiled, happy surprise evident on his face.

"Well, bye. I've got to get home and pack," Cam nodded goodbye, and Erik laughed as he let out a small wave.

Erik smiled wide as he looked back at me.

"Can you believe that?" Erik laughed, and I smiled weakly.

Suddenly, I couldn't do it.

If Cam could be an adult, so could I.

I couldn't ask Massie and my friends to have to pay for some stupid mistake that I made.

"Uh, Erik, can I talk to you for a second?"

He raised his eyebrows to ask me what I was talking about, and I felt the taste of pennies roll over my tongue.

"Are you alright, Claire?"

"Yeah, I just… I just need to talk to you alone."

_**XXXXX**_

"Erik, I'm sorry," I tried, trying to keep myself from crying.

But he pulled his arm away and he looked to the other wall, thinking over everything that I had told him.

And I told him everything.

From how I had seen Cam after the photo shoot. Going in after it started raining. And _it._

I didn't stop there though.

I told Erik about what happened afterwards. Like that was why I avoided him for a while. That, when I told Dylan, evil CeCe overheard and was threatening to get me sent back to Florida for the rest of my summer since my dad had made it clear that, if I was going to go to college, I needed to become an adult.

And hooking Cam wasn't being an adult.

I knew what he'd say.

I knew that he would hate me forever and walk out of that door.

But I couldn't help but want to try.

"Cam?" Erik shook his head, running his fingers through his blue hair, _"Cam?!"_

I couldn't decide if I should puke or cry, so I did neither.

"What the hell were you thinking? I mean, what was wrong? Did I do something wrong? Was it something I said? Or… I mean, _what the hell?!"_ he paced back and forth.

"No, no, it wasn't you Erik. You were perfect," my tears streamed down my cheeks, "I was stupid. And I wasn't thinking. And I am so sorry, Erik. I am so sorry."

"Sorry? _Sorry_! Sorry doesn't cut it, Claire!"

"I know, Erik. But I _am_! I didn't mean it! I was so stupid. You didn't deserve this! If anyone didn't deserve this, it was definitely you," my sobs were getting worse, and Erik didn't know what to do.

"Goodbye, Claire."

"Erik," I tried, jumping out my seat to catch up to him, and Erik paused at the door of the dressing room to look back at me.

"Claire, I can't. Goodbye," he whispered, pulling me close, and he kissed the top of my head.

My sobs got louder, and he left just like that.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I leaned onto the door, trying to stop crying.

And, after what felt like forever, I did, and I wiped away the tears with a tissue before opening it and heading towards the backstage that had emptied out.

_Here goes nothing…_ I told myself as I started towards the front door of the theater, but then I saw CeCe.

"Did you end this yet?" CeCe asked, her arms crossed over a tight red mini dress.

"Yeah, I ended it. But Massie and James are fine."

CeCe showed her shock as she watched me.

"I told Erik, and now I am going home to tell my dad."

CeCe looked like she was about to pass out.

"You what?!"

"Why don't you go back to screwing your Alpha, not us? Not that you're good at that either, because who's Beta and who's Alpha?"

CeCe stared at me, not able to decide if she should show admiration in my courage or if she should bitch-slap me.

"Goodbye, CeCe," I smiled, though it felt hollow, and I pushed my bag on my shoulder as I started towards the door again.

And CeCe stopped and stared at me as I left, and I took a little joy in the boost of confidence.

But it wasn't too much of a boost.

I glanced around for the Click, and they were all huddled together except for Dylan, wearing their party outfits.

I'd have to miss that to tell my Dad.

Maybe if I acted mature and told him myself, he would limit my punishment to a weekend with my parents playing scrabble and wearing overalls.

Massie waved me over, running in her heels over to see me.

"Listen, Claire, I have a plan. And I can get it in action tonight at the party, which should fit in by your twenty four hour time limit. We just have to-"

"Massie," I cut her off, "There is no more time limit."

She stared at me.

"What?"

"No blackmail. I told him. And I'm on my way to tell my dad. Tomorrow, I'll put in my resignation, and that'll be it."

"But what about your dad?" Massie asked, "You can _nawt_ go to _Bor-ida!_"

"Maybe he'll understand that I'm an adult now and not his five year old little girl."

"And when that doesn't happen?" Massie crossed her arms, knowing my father, "Have you been to Florida in the summer recently? H-E-L-L, Sweetie. And I'm not saying that because I spent four years in the UK. Even the locals thought it was _hell!_"

I tried not to laugh at my alpha.

"He'll probably just have me stay home and play monopoly or something with my little brother. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

Massie hugged me and nodded.

"I'll call you after the party. Now use your _Daddy's Little Princess_ powers to woo him to let you stay," Massie laughed.

"Take some pictures for me, alright? I might be packing up tomorrow."

_**Massie,**_

"Where the hell did you get that dress?" Bay smiled.

While we all loved her, she often tried to find out our secret shops for Saks.

Dylan smiled as she spun around in her dress.

Her red hair was still teased up like Galinda, with long curls cascading down her back. Her fake eyelashes were adorned with fake diamonds, and her real diamonds came in the form of dangling earrings. And either she was crazy enough to put real diamonds in her bodice, or they were amazing fakes.

Now, her dress _was_ amazing.

The bodice was tight and showed off her curves while being the same peach to match Galinda. And the dress's skirt was like a tutu, only somehow sexier. And her peach high heels went to her knees thanks to the ribbon tying around her legs.

Somehow, she had combined Dylan and Galinda to make this.

And she looked hot.

"Not telling," Dylan smiled as she hurried, or what was hurrying in her heels, towards us, "Now come on. We'll be late."

"Hey, I'm riding with James, okay?"

They nodded as I headed towards James, who was on the phone with Robin.

"Hey, Rob, Massie wants to talk to you for a second."

I smiled as I leaned into James, taking the phone and resting my head on his shoulder.

"Hey, Robin, how's my party boy doing?"

"And the Alpha returns! I haven't heard from you in forever. Only email, Ms. Busy-Butt."

"Sorry, I've been busy. And it's not like you've had time to call your old friend, Ladies Man. Besides, I'll see you in a month, right?" I asked hopefully, knowing that Wyatt had canceled and wouldn't see me until his internship at an up-and-coming fashion line in NYC this September.

Strawberry and Quinn were set for their flights and were finishing up business in Europe before coming over to the States with me for school.

And I couldn't wait to see them and to have the Click meet them.

"Course, Dorkerella. And I plan on hearing all of the crazy stories you'll have of this summer."

He can't even imagine.

"Bye, Robby. Do you need to talk to James again?"

"Nah, I'll call him tomorrow when the game is on."

"Okay, Robin. Bye."

Instead of saying goodbye, Robin did what he always did and hung up.

I smiled as I handed James phone back, and I suddenly wanted to hug Claire for not making me have to fight with James tonight over Derrington.

I hated fighting with James, and I wasn't sure I could really handle it.

He was just so… sweet.

Sometimes, I felt like he didn't deserve this craziness that came along with me, but he said he loved it and that it definitely kept him entertained. I used to get mad when he said that, but I had learned to love it.

"If you want to skip the party, we can," I offered James, knowing he wasn't much for the Westchester Crazy Blowout scene.

I had promised to help set Derrington up, but I'm sure he could handle it since Alicia wouldn't be there.

"Nah, thanks to the soccer game, I've actually made friends. So I won't just be standing there like an idiot."

"_Friends_?" I laughed.

Everyone loved James, but most of the guys here were jealous of him.

Besides, they didn't have to worry about him stealing their girlfriends because he was so hopelessly in love with me.

Or that was what I said.

"Yes, I can make _friends, _Prissy Pot," James hip-bumped me, and I smiled.

We were like how we used to be, and I had missed that.

"Then let's get to the party," I smirked as I entwined my hand with his.

_**Kristen,**_

"Hey, Hot New Bartender," I smirked as I sat on the stool at the bar of the eighteen and over club that Massie rented, but we had a deal that, if they looked away, we could pretend that we kept their rule of no alcohol.

Derrington, who had somehow taken over as bartender smirked.

"You know, I am finally available," Derrington raised his eyebrows, trying to flirt, but I just kept laughing.

"Sorry, Sweetheart, but you screwed that up when you lead me on to get with Massie six years ago."

"And, anyway, you are already taken, huh?"

I blushed as he looked towards Dempsey, who was playing foosball.

"He's looking at you," Derrington nudged me, "God, can you just kiss him and get this thing over with? We _all_ know."

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"Bullshit."

"Can you just give me a cranberry vodka and shut up?"

"How about a Appletini? The girl who ordered it just left with some guy, and it's clear that she already has the Beer Goggles," Derrington offered the drink, and I took it, taking a sip.

"Damn, this is actually good."

"I'm going to ignore your surprise," Derrington crossed his arms, narrowing his chocolate brown eyes at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"So, why are you here?" I leaned over the bar, "I thought this was the big time to get back out there after Alicia."

Derrington hesitated, tracing his finger over the rim of a shot glass.

"I don't know," he sighed, "I can do it. I can. I'm just…"

"Even you deserve better, Derrington," I patted his hand, and he stuck his tongue out at me.

"Shut up."

"Come on," I nodded for him to follow me, "You are trying too fast to get back into your old ways. Start slowly, Derrick."

I latched onto Derrick's arm, and I led him through the crowd.

"How about her?" Derrick pointed to a hot cheerleader still in her uniform.

"Stop and look at her," I pointed Derrick to look at her, and he suddenly got pale, "You see Alicia, don't you?"

"Cheerleader. Pretty. And a bitch. Who's next?"

"Hmm," I looked around the room, and my eyes narrowed in on Elise Hubert.

She was completely different from Alicia.

She had short brown hair fashioned in a bob, and she had bright green eyes. Her body was thin from playing soccer a lot, but she didn't have Alicia's curves. And this was probably the first time anyone had seen Elise in a dress.

_Perfect…_ I told myself.

"Now, Derrington, we're going to try a different approach."

Derrington watched me carefully.

"You, my dear, have just gotten out of a bad relationship, and, even though you want to be the macho hot guy, you have a golden card here. And girls will love you for it, or at least the girls you need to be with are. You need to slowly work your way back up to your type," I told him as I started towards Elise.

"But-"

"Elise!"

Elise let out a weak wave.

She still kind of held it against me that I made the cut for the exclusive soccer team and she didn't, but I pretended I didn't notice.

But then her green eyes locked onto Derrington, and she smiled.

"Uh, hey," she blushed, twirling her blonde hair.

"Elise, this is my friend, Derring-"

Derrick nudged me.

"Er, _Derrick_. He just got out of this terrible relationship, and he's a bit shy."

Derrington kept glaring at me.

"I really want him to get back out there, you know. And I remember your break-up with Dempsey, and you got over it so well."

_By throwing his stuff out in the rain and telling everyone that they really broke up because they had trouble in the bedroom because he had a little problem._

But I wouldn't mind if that happened to Alicia.

Her face fell when I brought that up, but Elise smiled again for Derrington.

"Totally," she smiled.

"I've got to get going. Have fun you, too."

Derrington motioned he'd kill me later, but I kept walking with a smile back towards the bar.

"Hey, where's Derrick? I've been trying to get a drink forever?"

I looked back and saw Dempsey sitting on my old barstoold.

"With that Elise girl?"

"You're punishing him like that?" Dempsey laughed, and my heart began to pound harder.

I really did think about doing what Derrington had said, but I almost did it.

But then I chickened out, silently praying that he would finish it for me.

But he just turned bright red and reached behind the bar to get two drinks.

"Drink."

I smiled as I took one.

"So, um, uh… everyone's been trying to set Griffon up with one of the Click girls, huh?"

Yeah, Bay.

"You could say that," I nodded, knowing that Bay would kill him if I told him.

Dempsey paled.

Whoa, did he think I meant-?

I was about to tell him that I preferred Soccer Players to writers, but then one of his soccer friends stumbled up with some drunk guy.

"Hey, Dempsey, can you take Norman home? He lives right by you, and he's totally wasted. It's worrying."

"Sure," Dempsey stood, leaving his drink on the bar, "I'll see you later, Kris."

"Yeah," I nodded, feeling sick, "Bye, Dempsey. I'm going to head home, too."

_**Alicia,**_

"Do you have these in orange?" I asked as I held up a pair of vintage sunglasses, and the saleswoman hesitated.

"We have them in coral," she offered, and I shook my head.

"No, I'll just take the black. And," I looked around the rack of sunglasses one more time, and my gaze lingered on a pair of pink sunglasses that Suri Cruise made popular, "One of those."

The woman's eyes lingered on my stomach, and I glared at her.

"Are you going to ring it up?"

She smiled her apologies, and she quickly rang it up and gave me the price, with a discount for so rude.

I didn't really care though.

It was for Piper.

Piper wouldn't be with us for a while, and it would take a while before she would grow into these sunglasses. But it just felt like something I should do.

Maybe I didn't like her yet, but I could.

And I did like shopping for her.

"Thank you," I smiled as she gave me my Amex back, and I adjusted my head scarf before walking out into the busy mall.

I stopped to look at myself in the glass, and I smiled.

My white shorts were perfect since they were straight off the rack, and they showed off my dancer legs. My aquamarine tank top fit me well, and the lace made me look less like an ice cold bitch to make my image better. My grey ankle boots made me taller, and my sleek black ponytail had a blue scarf over it.

"Caliente," I smiled at myself, and I had an extra boost of confidence to add to my strut towards the coffee shop.

I had to admit that it stung a little to think about Derrington, but I was moving on.

Or I told myself I was…

I ordered three skinny lattes, and I tapped the counter as I waited.

Since the Click were on their way to the Hamptons for Ryan's wedding, we were using this time to rack up points before they were put on national television for the big wedding episode.

"Hey," Olivia jumped up and down happily as she ran over to me, and she hugged me tightly.

"Can't breathe, Liv."

She smiled as she let me go, and I smiled that she was trying to follow my _Caliente_ style. But it looked like a pregnant woman had puked all over her dress after an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet. And her boots reminded me too much of Massie during her Equestrian years.

"You look hot," Olivia smiled.

"Thanks."

"Where's CeCe?"

"Oh right, she's working out," Olivia bit her red lip, and I stared at her.

"What aren't you telling me, Liv?"

"Uh, let's just have coffee," she reached for a lattee, but I pushed it away.

"Tell me, Olivia."

"She found out that Claire hooked up with Cam, and she blackmailed her into breaking Massie and James up. But Claire told Erik, and now she has nothing to blackmail her with. And now they're even more _super secretive_."

"She what?" I felt my anger boil.

"I think she was trying to prove that she could be Alpha."

Well, she _can't_.

"You know what we have to do, Olivia."

"But-"

"Olivia, CeCe made me have to do this to you when you broke the rules. And that was just _one little rule_. These are a million!"

"She told you to do that!" Olivia's anger grew.

I grabbed my cell phone from my boho tote, and I quickly scanned through my pictures to find the right picture of a blue beanie.

When I found it, I attached it to a message to CeCe and typed away.

_One Week. Starting NOW._

_Hottie With a Dancer's Body_

I pressed send.

We used to laugh that girls who wore beanies always got sent to exile.

So, when one of broke the rules, we were forced to wear a beanie.

And CeCe was totally in exile.

What was that girl up to?

My trust was fading, and I was nothing without trust.

Those were my rules…

And it seemed like all of the rules were being broken recently.

"Come on, Olivia. Let's go get some publicity," I smiled, "I saw this dress in the window that is _purr-fect_ for you! You'll _j'adore_ it."

Olivia nodded, and I bit my tongue not to mention how she looked like someone puked on her dress.

"I'm _toe-tah-lly_ in. I'm going to look so _hawt_ by the beach."

Olivia had been looking forward to our weekend at the Hamptons at my parent's place, which we had put off after Ryan announced that her wedding was the weekend we had planned. And I was looking forward to relaxation.

_**Dylan,**_

"And this is your villa," Brenda opened the door for us, and we all gasped.

The wedding was lavish and paid for mostly by different companies wanting advertisement, and I had thought it was slimy before. But, now that I saw our private villa, I was in love.

"Let me show you to your rooms. Gavin will bring in your bags," Brenda motioned for Gavin to bring our stuff from the limo that held all of our stuff.

Brenda led the six of us up the stairs, and she opened the door to one of the rooms.

"This is for Claire," she opened the door to a plush green room, and Claire smiled as she walked in.

"Luhv it!"

We left Claire in her room and led everyone to their rooms, and Massie and I were the last.

Massie gasped as we walked into her oceanview bedroom that looked exactly like the i-Pad, Massie's old pure white bedroom.

And my room looked like a Scarlett queen had just moved out.

I was still feeling the soft shag carpet when Gavin came in with my bags and two bags, one with _Marvelous Wedding_ printed in cursive for a gift bag and a bright blue bag from the hottest store in the Hamptons. And all of the tags read _For Dylan_, and, as I was hurrying over to see what was inside, I heard the other girl's happy reactions as they opened their gift basket.

I went straight for it and smiled myself, putting everything out on the floor.

An iPad with my name written in the navy blue that the wedding was using as their main color with every episode of the wedding couple together on our reality TV show. A pair of flip flops for the beach and a blue bikini with the name of our show printed on the butt. Beach scented candles. Drew's new perfume that was about to hit stores. And a tee shirt with a picture of the wedding couple at their engagement party last month.

All of the girls were swarming in my rooms.

"I think Brenda makes better gift baskets than Massie!" Claire smiled.

"Ooh, I loved this episode!" Bay showed me an episode on her iPad.

"What's in the bag?" Massie looked at the blue bag, and I hesitated as I reached insade.

"Ehmagawd!" I pulled out my bridesmaid dress, and my smile widened.

"It's beautiful!" Bay ran her hand over the dress, "I tried to get this in the store, but the designer was too exclusive."

"Oh my gawd! Look at these shoes!" Claire reached inside the bag and brough out a pair of red Christian Louboutin heels that I had been lusting over for weeks.

"Excuse me girls, we also brought your outfits for the wedding," Brenda smiled as she brought five more bags to the room, setting them on the floor with the names for every girl.

We all rushed to the bags.

"And they all match your rooms. Except for you, Massie. You're wearing purple for the cameras. You have to dress yourself for tonight though."

But we weren't really paying attention.

Claire smiled as she picked up the spring green dress with the little flowers on it.

Layne brought out a shiny grey mini dress with a pair of platform lace-up heels.

Bay picked up a light blue vintage gown.

Kristen held her black and white stripped dress to herself, smiling at the beautiful long pearl necklaces that came around.

And Massie gasped at her purple gown.

"And the boys will also be dressed."

"By the way, where are they?" Massie stood, wondering where James was. We hadn't seen him since we got into different limos.

"Uh, no going to see them. Late night visits brought this wedding about in the first place," Brenda rolled her eyes, "Now get all dolled up for dinner. Your itineraries are on your iPad. I'll need you ready for some shooting in about an hour, okay? You're free until then."

Massie looked back to me, silently asking if Brenda was always like that, and I nodded.

"Okay, Brenda," I smiled, and she let out a weak wave goodbye.

And I waited until she was gone before I looked back to my friends.

One by one, they smiled.

Even Claire.

While I loved Claire, she had been depressing after her break-up with Erik, which was understandable but annoying.

And it felt nice to see our old Claire back.

Especially since we would need her during the crazy wedding.

I hadn't planned on involving them until the US Weekly article on the Click Wars, which was being updated on our show, and even some people who were just big fans or hated me had gotten in voting, meaning votes had spiked up a million times. And I wanted to keep on the good side of those voters, too.

And then, as best friends, we all started laughing.

"To a fun weekend," Massie held up her new pair of purple high-heels, and we all laughed as we chimed in, holding up our shoes.

"To a fun weekend!" we repeated.

_**Not what you expected, but not bad, right?**_

_**Oh, and for Dylan's Bridesmaid Dress, hawtgeek12345 .polyvore **_

just take out the spaces


	19. The Marvelous Marvil Wedding

_**By the way, I**_** do**_** know now that Dylan's sister was Jamie, but I have already called her Drew so many times that she's Drew here. **_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Dylan,<strong>_

"Mom, you made your famous lasagna," I smiled, biting my tongue to keep from stuffing my face, "It takes _hours_ to make."

Usually, I would have thought that someone else had slaved over the meal, but there were little touches that only my mother could make. And they were here.

My mom smiled for the camera, squeezing her fiancé's hand, and she even smiled to my father, who was making sure that his three year old fourth child, Atticus, was good in front of the cameras. They had put Layne beside my father because my step-mother had just filed for divorce, saying that she had only married him because of Atticus and his money but that she was tired of his _"Grand-pa Ways"_ and wanted a divorce.

It would be in late August that my mom would fly us all to Hawaii for her wedding.

"Well, it takes a _lifetime_ to find love," my mom leaned onto her fiancé's shoulder.

Ryan, who was glowing from her pregnancy and hiding her growing stomach with a loose beige beach dress, smiled at Dean, and Dean smiled back a real smile.

_So this was a sappy episode…_

I 'awed', motioning for the Click to the same, and they did for the cameras.

Drew forced a smile, but she couldn't stop from rolling her eyes, staring at the lasagna for when she could finally eat it.

The table had been careful organized for the cameras.

The wedding wasn't going to be a big extravaganza with everyone on the A-C list, but it wouldn't be a wedding by the beach with family and best friends. But it was the first night of the week-long party, and they only wanted coverage of this for now.

The couple took first place, and my mom with her soon-to-be husband was second. Drew and I were third. Dad, Atticus, and Josh were fourth. And the Click was fifth, though they had been featured to keep up on our US Weekly story.

I glanced over at Josh, who was sitting next to James, and they were both about to laugh.

To keep myself from laughing with them, I looked over to the PC, and I had to admit that all of them looked great, especially Massie, though she dressed it down to not bring too much attention to herself. But it was hard not to bring attention to Massie.

Her brown hair was down in beach curls tumbling around her. Her perfect figure was showed off in a light blue sundress and a pair of to-die-for platform sandals that would have sent me falling if I had worn them, which is why Brenda forced me to wear flats tonight.

"_I'm starving_," Massie mouthed, smiling, and I forced myself not to laugh as my father lead the prayer and said that we could eat now.

And we all did.

I wasn't sure if it was planned like that to make Ryan's eating for two look normal, but I didn't question it.

"So, Massie," Drew smiled her sultry smile, "Who's the cutie?"

Drew and Massie had never been _friends_, but they had never really met either.

"James, my boyfriend," Massie smiled, silently warning Drew to stay away as she took a sip of iced tea.

"Boyfriend? How long have you been together?" the question was supposed to be aimed at both of them, but Drew looked directly at James.

"Almost four years."

Drew's jaw dropped.

She hadn't had the same pair of _shoes_ for four years.

"Oh, so you're from London?" Dean asked.

His model mother was from Greece but grew up in London, and they had been going there ever summer. For some odd reason, he considered himself British, though we all knew that he had in a cute little hospital in the south, where the nurses called him "Baby Beau" and made it clear that they thought he should have a family name and then was taken to his Bel-Air mansion.

"Born and Bred," James nodded, his accent prominent on 'Bred' in an adorable way, "Where are you from?"

"Bel-Air," Ryan cut in before Dean would start about how he used to live part-time in London and part time in LA before making a permanent residence in New York when his dad started teaching at NYU.

James nodded, and the boys started a conversation while I leaned over to talk to my girls.

"Thank you for putting up with this," I whispered.

"No problem," Bay smiled.

"Did you see my room? I would go through this a million times to get that room," Kristen smirked.

"What about my shoes?" Claire smiled.

Her personally ordered green shoes with crotchet flowers to match her dress, which I had gotten for her to cheer her up.

"_I_ would marry Dean for those shoes."

"Is this how it always is?" Layne asked, "Because if it is, I'm totally getting my own reality TV show. _Layne's in the Band_? Or _Able Abeley_?"

"It's usually H-E double credit cards, but the specials are like this. We get about two of those a year, maybe more if there is a lot going on. Like this year, and next year with have a lot because of me in college and Ryan with the baby. But usually hell."

Layne's visions of her reality TV show seemed to fade, and she shrugged.

"I'll just have a tell-all movie when I'm famous."

"No, do a big cover story at Vogue so that I can work on it," Massie smiled, "They just called. As soon as I'm out of college, I've got the job."

"Or a tell-all book. Are we forgetting about the novelist here?" Bay smiled, and Kristen rolled her eyes.

"No, do a movie so I can act in it," I spoke up before Claire, and the entire Click began to laugh.

We laughed so hard that Brenda glared at us.

She motioned for us to shut up, and we leaned back in our chairs to listen to my parents talk about how amazing it was to think that this bride had once been a little girl playing in her mother's wedding dress.

Yeah, a _really_ sappy episode.

_**Claire,**_

As a photographer snapped photos of us, Massie adjusted her Raybands to hide more of her face and hurried her walk towards the exclusive Hamptons shop, _Marcus_.

We had all hurried into our string bikinnis and hurried to the beach before we had to be at a wedding thing, but we quickly found out that the beach was out of the question.

In the two minutes that Dylan put her towel in her bag and sat down on a lounge chair, twenty photos of her had been posted to the internet, and it had strangely been worse for Massie, who they saw as the new girl on the scene.

Josh and James, _especially_ James, had forced us to get back to the Villa, and it had been Bay's idea to go shopping, a vote that won five to one (Layne cringed at the thought of shopping in _Polo-Hamptons_).

While I did like the freedom that came along with being single, I often missed Erik.

We hadn't been together long, but that wasn't the point…

I hadn't seen Erik since I told him about me and Cam, and he had made sure it was that way. He dropped off my box of stuff while I was at a sleepover with Massie, and he told Todd that there was no message when Todd asked if he wanted to say anything to me.

And that hurt most.

I wanted him to be explosive.

I had just cheated on him with the angel of death, Cam Fisher, who we both _worked_ with.

But he didn't say anything.

He just left my stuff, blocked me on Facebook, and powered off his computer to hear the gossip about me.

_God, if only I hadn't stopped that day and picked Cam up…_

Massie quickly ushered her Betas into the store, and a helpful saleswoman locked the door after us as Dylan explained that we would like to be alone.

"This would look cute on you," Massie held up a baby blue mini dress, and I shook my head.

"I would look like a Christmas ornament."

Massie shrugged as she put the dress back on the rack and weaved through the store, picking out a red dress for herself and snagging a pair of spiked ankle boots, and I tried to get into the shopping adventure, even ignoring the price tag like Massie told me since her dad was paying anyway.

But I couldn't do it.

I just kept thinking of Erik.

_How betrayed his eyes looked…_

It wasn't until that I felt the sharp pain of a belt buckle did I realize that I had been holding on to a dress until my knuckles were white, earning me a glare from a saleswoman who probably made as much in a month as that dress costs.

I smiled weakly my apology, and I started towards where Layne was crinkling her nose at a hot pink mini dress.

"Hey, I'm going over to get some ice cream. I'll be back later, okay?"

"I'll cover you," Layne nudged me, "Go have fun."

I nodded goodbye towards her, and I twisted my blue scarf, which Massie let me borrow to match my new blue shiny tank top, to hide my blonde hair. And I hurriedly left the store.

For a minute, the paparazzi took pictures but stopped when they realized I was alone.

I kept on past the main shopping center to a cute fat-free frozen yogurt shop, where I took off my scarf, and I walked towards the two girls ordering inside.

"Claire?"

I gasped as I looked at their faces.

"Vera? Doris?"

The twin teenagers smiled and quickly ran to hug me.

"Oh my God! It's been forever since I've seen you! You were fourteen!"

"We grew up," Doris smiled, her pearly white teeth perfect.

As a little girl, the twins had been cute, and, as they became young teenagers, they hated being cute, not hot. But they had grown into themselves.

They still dressed exactly alike though.

They both had their long black hair tied into side braids, only on different sides. Doris wore a pair of lime green shorts and a navy blue tank top, and Vera wore a pair of navy blue shorts and a lime green tank top. And their make-up was exactly the same, too.

"Um, where's your-" I was cut off by the bell of the door opening.

"Their you guys are! Aunt Annabel has been searching for you. You said you'd only be at that store for a few minutes to get those shoes."

I froze.

"They closed it off, Cam, for some celebrity or something. And Doris got hungry-"

"But I wasn't hungry enough to go to lunch," Vera cut in.

"And we saw the yogurt shop."

"And I said that we should wait for you."

The twins kept on going, but neither of us could hear it as I peaked back at Cam.

Cam's face went pale.

"Claire."

He looked as perfect as ever, with a fresh new tan and more muscle tone from swimming so much.

I hadn't seen him since the play, when my parents made me spend the weekend in a pair of power puff girl pajamas during _Family Time_, which started late because my dad was crying after finding out that I was no longer "pure" though he had honestly known since I was fifteen, when it first happened.

"Hey, Cam," my voice was small, and Vera and Doris realized that Cam wasn't paying attention anymore.

"Uh, we'll just let you guys talk," Vera awkwardly grabbed their yogurts and sat at the table at the edge of the store, where I knew she was still listening.

"I, um, heard about Erik," he nervously ran his fingers through his hair, "I am sorry. I really am. I didn't think-"

"No, it wasn't you. Well, it _was, _I guess. But I mean, I did it, too," I cut him off, and I bit my tongue to not tell him about what happened with CeCe.

He already knew she was a bitch, and I didn't want to make him feel like even more of an idiot for not knowing.

"Are you alright?" Cam asked, and I shrugged.

"I could be worse."

It wasn't a lie, but it kinda felt like one.

"So what are you doing here?" Cam tried to change the subject.

"You haven't heard? It's all over the internet. I am here for the _Marvelous Marvil Wedding_."

"Our family has been _unplugged_ for _Family Time._"

"Family Time. I've had way too much of that."

"You told your dad, too?"

He knew my family, and I knew his.

Maybe that was why our break-up hurt so much for everyone else, too.

Vera and Doris knew me as their old babysitter.

Todd knew Cam as the cool guy who was crazy enough to be in love with his sister.

And his parents knew me as the girl they prayed he would marry so that he wouldn't end up like his brother, who went on and changed everything.

"I had to."

Cam raised his eyebrows for an excuse.

"CeCe told me that, if I didn't break Massie and James up, she would tell Erik and my father. And I told Erik, and I knew that, if I told him, he would just punish me at home instead of punishing me at my Grandmother's place in Florida."

Cam's eyes widened.

"CeCe?" he sounded crushed that he had caused that.

"Poetic justice, huh?" I put my hands in my back pocket, "I told you about her, and she was going to tell Erik about me."

Cam opened his mouth to say something, but then I saw Bay and Massie standing at the door, their eyes wide as they stared at Cam.

"Uh, I'll see you later, okay?"

Probably not.

"Bye," Cam let out a weak wave, knowing the same thing I did.

This was it.

"Was that Cam?" Bay asked as I started towards her, and Massie just kept staring.

_**Alicia,**_

"Good morning," I smiled as I looked at CeCe, who looked like she was about to kill me.

Her blonde hair was being held up in a black beanie, and I noticed that her brown roots were starting to show. She had a tooth paste stain on the right shoulder on her hot pink half-top, and her high-waisted jean shorts had the logo of H&M on the side, where she hadn't noticed. And her lace-up ankle boots made her look short.

Was it wrong that I was enjoying this?

No, it wasn't.

CeCe had broken my dominance, and she deserved more time of this. I would have given it to her, too, but I needed points and couldn't have her in exile for too long.

"What the hell did I do?" CeCe marched up to me, but I held up my hand for her to remember the rule of keeping away while in exile.

"When the hell has Olivia been able to keep a secret unless it was someone she was screwing around with?" I crossed my arms, glaring at my beta.

CeCe froze, but she quickly recovered.

"I was _helping_ you!"

"You stole Claire's boyfriend! You thought she would just _do_ it! God, you are as dumb as you are plastic!"

CeCe gasped because I was bringing up her plastic surgeries, but it's not like we all just believed she had suddenly grown two cup sizes over last summer.

"And now look where you got us!"

"Me? Me! You got us here! Because you couldn't stand the possibility of Massie being Queen Bee instead of you!"

"The minimum is two hundred feet! Now go, Beanie!" I pointed, and CeCe stomped away, making me roll my eyes.

Luckily, no one was in the parking lot of the mall, and I simply put my sunglasses on and bit my tongue not to release my anger out on the first person I saw.

But then I walked into the mall.

It became almost impossible not to go and claw Maggie Beau's eyes out, but I somehow managed.

But I couldn't control staring at her.

Maggie Beau.

She had been a girl on the cheerleading team with me, and she had actually been Queen Bee at PCMS but bowed out gracefully because she knew I would take it by force if I had to. So, I let her be Beta Clique in exchange for not giving me a big fight.

Maggie was beautiful, _naturally_ beautiful.

She never had to dye her hair because she was naturally blonde, though she _did_ get highlights to spruce it up. She was size four and was so good at yoga that she was now an instructor over the summer. Maggie had perfect curves and never complained about having to eat only salad to keep her body that way. She had a bright smile and the nose that had secretly been the one I got from a plastic surgeon.

While Maggie was beautiful, I had never been really jealous of her.

Well, until now…

Maggie looked perfect today in her hot pink sundress, and she had bright big smile as she leaned on her new boyfriend's shoulder.

But Maggie wasn't the actual problem.

_Derrick was._

His arm was slung around Maggie, and they were trying to figure out how to take a good picture of themselves.

But then Maggie saw me.

"Alicia!" Maggie smiled, waving for me to come up to her, and my feet turned to lead as I walked towards them, "Hey, can you take a picture for us?"

I wanted to say no, but I couldn't think of an excuse.

"Sure," I lied, and Maggie handed me her camera.

Derrick's eyes were wide as he stared at me, and his smile dropped.

"Um, one, two," I felt like I was going to throw up, "three."

The camera flashed, and Derrick managed to fake a smile just in time.

"Here you go," I handed the camera back to Maggie, who smiled as she put it back in her tote bag.

"Thank you so much," Maggie smiled.

"So you two are..." I stopped, about to puke.

"Yup," Maggie smiled, planting a kiss on Derrington's cheek, "Derrick here just got out of this horrible relationship. Did you hear about it?"

"Yeah, um, I _heard_ about it," I nodded, and I noticed that Derrington's eyes never left me.

I knew he wouldn't wait for me, and I didn't wait for him one bit.

Derrick made it clear that it was over.

It _was_ over.

But why did it hurt so much?

Had I put him through this every time he saw me with Brandon?

No, this hurt too much. If I had, he would have left a long time ago.

"I better go," I pulled my purse closer to me and motioned to leave, and Maggie smiled goodbye.

"Bye, Alicia."

"Uh, bye, Alicia."

Alicia.

That still hurt.

Not Leesh.

Or Dall Face.

Or anything like that.

"Bye, Derrick."

_Not Derrington._

And that seemed to hurt him, too.

I smiled goodbye and hurried away from the jewelry store where I was going go to pick up a necklace for my soon-to-be baby sister, Piper, for her to later think of the day she came into the family, and I walked straight past the rude waitress and went to the bartender who had a crush on me at the bar.

"One mojito."

He nodded and started to make it.

_**Kristen,**_

"Can't breathe," I complained as DeAnna, who was getting me us all ready, but she didn't listen to me, tightening the bodice on the floral dress they had me in.

"God, it's only the rehearsal dinner!" Dylan called out in pain as Bronx, DeAnna's assistant forced her into her tight green dress, which she _also_ couldn't breathe in.

Only Massie seemed to be okay, who was in a comfortable purple gown so that she didn't call to much attention away from the bride.

"It's almost done," Massie tried, still soothing Claire from how her light blue maxi dress had caused her to trip in her platform sandals and hit her head.

"So, Claire," Bay struggled to sit down in her grey mini dress, "What was up with you and Cam?"

"It wasn't like _that_, Bay. We were talking because he just found out about what happened with me and Erik."

"So, he came to console you," Layne nudged her, and Claire turned bright red.

"This is it for us, okay? We're _done_. For real this time," Claire told us, and she seemed solemn about it. Maybe even a little sad.

I guess I understood.

They had basically been married for years, and it was suddenly gone. It was only natural, I suppose, to be upset that it was _really_ over.

I was about to keep on teasing her when DeAnna finally finished and pushed me to get my touch up my hair-do, where Emmalee was happy and fast as she fixed me up.

"And done," Emmalee smiled as she motioned for me to go sit by my friends as she applied Dylan's red lipstick.

"So, tomorrow is the wedding, right?"

"One O'Clock, and a big reception at the beach house," Dylan answered as Emmalee started working on her eyebrows.

She was referring to the mansion Mrs. Marvil rented by the beach, where she was staying with the immediate family. Dylan was supposed to be there, but they decided to have the Click in a nearby villa and have the boys far away from us since that happened to be the reason for the sudden wedding.

"Have they announced?" I motioned towards my stomach.

"They will at the reception actually," Dylan nodded, "In the speech. Thanking everyone for being there for them and that they hope that they will be as supportive as they start their family."

"How has Ryan been able to hide this so well? Isn't she like _six_ months pregnant? I wasn't even pregnant, and my mom was basically starting working on a baby nursery for when the baby would come to see her," Massie rolled her eyes.

"She has some of the best PR in the world."

We all looked and there was Brenda, with her signature iPad and a crisp black suit.

"Come on, girls. We have to plan your entrance," Brenda motioned for us all to stand, and we didn't dare object.

Instead, we just followed after her and bit our tongues not to complain about our shoes.

At the door, the boys were waiting, and both Dylan and Massie smiled wide.

They hadn't seen either of them very much, and they had been complaining about it the entire time.

This made me miss Dempsey.

No, it didn't make me _miss_ Dempsey.

It made me wish that he would just kiss me already.

As James planted a kiss on Massie's cheek and told her she looked beautiful, I wanted Dempsey to make a move so much that I actually wanted to _hit_ him for _not _doing so before.

"Makes you jealous, huh?" Bay motioned towards Massie and James.

"Me, yes. But you could have Griffon at any time you want, Bay," I nudged her.

"And you could have Dempsey any time you wanted. I actually have a problem here," Layne crossed her arms, and Bay rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, Baze is so in love with you I'm surprised he hasn't gotten down on his knee and proposed!"

"Baze and I are _friends_!"

"Who are _hopelessly_ in love with each other!"

"Hello-" Claire cut in, motioning to herself, "Do you mind not rubbing it in that I am the only one _without _a guy in love with me?"

Bay bit her tongue not to tease her about Cam, and I tried to keep myself from hugging Claire.

"Alright, and go," Brenda pushed us, and we all tried to look nonchalant as we entered the packed party.

_**Massie,**_

"It doesn't fit!" Ryan cried, "God, I am getting so fat! This stupid little devil!"

"It'll fit, I promise, Ryan," Dylan pushed past her stylist and pulled on the strings to put on the Vera Wang gown that they had gotten for free from the show.

"I am not eating! I refuse to get _fatter_!"

"You're pregnant, Ryan! _You have to eat_!" Drew yelled at her sister, and Ryan kept on crying.

"I hate Dean! That _stupid_ SOB got me knocked up, and now I have to spend the rest of my _stupid_ life with him and his _stupid_ baby!"

"Calm down," Dylan finally laced up the dress, and she motioned for the stylist to come over and help out.

But Ryan kept on sobbing.

"God! _Shut up!"_

Everyone turned to stare at Drew, who was standing by a chair and shaking her head at her sister.

"Ryan Cameron Marvil, listen and listen good. You have been in love with Dean since the day you met him, and he has been in love with you from the very same moment. You are _going_ to marry him, and you are _going_ to be happy. You are _going_ to give birth to this baby, and you are _going_ to love it more than anything. Now, if I hear you say anything else about it today, I promise this will seem _gentle_ compared to what I'll do."

Ryan's jaw dropped, and she stared at her sister, who had suddenly earned everyone's respect.

_I didn't even know Drew believed in love_, I told myself.

Drew had been America's _A La Carte _Princess for years, and we all said we hated her but secretly loved her. She didn't date, or, if she did, he didn't last long enough to be on the show for more than one episode. She just did whatever she wanted to do.

But maybe that was TV Magic, like hiding Ryan's obvious pregnancy.

"Now, you girls need to get to Brenda and tell her we'll be a little behind, okay?" Drew looked towards the Click.

We weren't _in_ the wedding, but we had been brought back to the Bride's dressing room anyway. And we hadn't really been allowed to leave until now.

Which is why we were so happy to jump up and leave, even without being intimidated by this new side of Drew Marvil.

All of my Betas, except for Dylan, followed me out to the waiting room where Brenda was still trying to get Josh's hair to stay in the same Dean-hairstyle that all of his groomsmen had to have.

"Where are they? She's going to be late! To her _own wedding!_" Brenda seemed to forget about Josh, and her eyes almost looked crazed.

"They're just a little late. We're fine," I tried, but Brenda didn't seem to buy it.

"What is going on in there? Are they hand-sewing a _new_ wedding dress?!"

"No, just cold feet."

"_Cold feet_? _Cold feet_! She was the one who wanted to get married! We offered her and Dean the possibility to be one of those weird political couples who wouldn't get married until gay's could marry, but they decided to get married fast.

Brenda began to freak out, and Josh just rolled his eyes, pointing towards in his hair in a silent question for me to fix it.

"Did they _dye_ your hair?" I ran a hand through his crisp black hair.

"Never. Speak. Of. It. _Ever_," Josh told me, and I raised my eyebrows but went to work on fixing his hair to look like Dean.

James was the only calm one.

The click were all fixing their dresses and trying not to fall in their shoes.

Josh was dying because he dyed his hair.

Brenda was freaking out.

And there was the Bride…

But James was fine.

Staying out of it so he wouldn't stir things up.

I really loved him.

I mean, I loved him to death.

Without realizing it, I began to wonder if it would be like this when we got married.

Me calling him every curse I could think of as I freaked out in the dressing room. My bridesmaids trying to calm me down. My mother freaking about the plans. My groomsmen complaining about their hair.

And then James just standing there, oblivious to it all and happy to marry me.

Could he be crazy enough to ever marry me?

To forever tie himself to a girl as insane as me?

I prayed so…

I was brought back to the present by Josh asking if it was noticeable that his hair color wasn't natural.

"No, no, I can just tell dye," I lied.

It was so perfect that everyone knew it had to be fake.

But I didn't dare tell him that.

"Good," Josh nodded, smiling as he went over to the mirror to check again, which gave me time to sneak over to James.

Without another word, I leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder.

"How do you feel about eloping?" I asked, my eyes shut as I tried to block out how crazy things were.

"Have you met my family? My parents wedding of two hundred was _small_ to them."

I moaned.

Wonderful.

"How about I just get pregnant when we decide to get married and your parents are in such a hurry to make it legal that they don't care?"

James laughed and kissed the top of my head.

"And, while you always look beautiful, do you think you could handle wondering if everyone was staring at the dress or your stomach as you walk down the aisle?"

God, I hate when he has a point.

But my soon-to-be-MD boyfriend always seemed to have a point.

I bit my lower lip and accepted defeat, which meant that I just shut up instead of telling him he won.

But he knew me well enough to know what that meant.

James opened his mouth to gloat when the door opened and Ryan came sweeping out.

"I am so excited. God, I just love Dean," Ryan smiled, "I can't wait to marry him! And to have our baby! I'm thinking Regan, Peyton, or Alex. But Dean had this marvelous aunt, Sarah, and we've been talking about naming the baby Sarah. But that doesn't matter today! Today I am going to marry the love of my life!"

My jaw dropped.

Was this even the same girl?

Her pregnancy bump was hidden by her dress, and her messy red hair was pulled into a perfect braided bun with a veil. Ryan's smile was wide, and she was glowing from either being a happy bride or a happy soon-to-be mother.

Either way, she looked like Ryan's secret twin that came in to look happy for the cameras.

"Now, come on. I don't want to be a second late!" Ryan smiled, and she started towards where the trolley was waiting to take us down to the beach.

I looked to Dylan and Drew, who were smiling triumphantly.

"I thought you couldn't give pregnant women drugs."

"No drugs," Dylan smiled, "But pregnant. Sudden mood swing. Just be scared for when it ends."

_**I know it wasn't what you expected or really long enough. But here it is. Enjoy and please review!**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Massie,**_

As the Range Rover pulled to a stop in front of my apartment building, I nudged for James to wake up.

He and Josh had gone out last night, and the Click went out.

We all agreed that we wouldn't tell each other where we were or what crazy thing happened.

The Click hadn't been too bad. We went out to a dance club in the Hamptons, but we couldn't have too much fun because everyone was taking pictures of us. We got back to the Villa early and we ended up watching Dylan's TV show because it was all we had there. And we spent the rest of the night as a sleepover in my room, putting on all of the clothes we had gotten over the week.

But the guys both had a clear hangover, and it was almost funny to watch them having to tell Brenda to stop using the blow horn to yell at the camera men.

Brenda held to her deal and woke us up at seven AM, when she packed all of our stuff up in our separate Range Rovers and we all hugged goodbye before going home.

It was fun, tiring but fun.

And the wedding was actually really sweet, even if Ryan's mood swings were horrible.

"We're here," I smiled at James, who was just weaning off his hangover.

James smiled as we both got out of the car, and he was about to grab one of my many suitcases when the driver motioned that he would get them all.

"Won't fight with you on that," James raised his hands in surrender, and we both went up to our apartment in the rainy afternoon.

It felt nice to be back at the apartment, but it was moment's like this when I wished I was back at the castle, collapsing into my canopy bed and asking Ellie to bring a hot cup of coffee and little pastries. At this time in the summer, the castle sat empty. My parents were on their yacht in Monte Carlo and they wouldn't even think about renting the castle out.

I didn't often miss my parents. I loved them, but we weren't exactly very close. I did miss James's parents though, which was weird. But I did.

"You okay, Queen Bee?" James smirked as he pressed the button on the elevator for our level.

I loved his voice.

Though I had tried, my accent had never been as pronounced as his. Mine was gentle, not British but not American either. Like Strawberry said, I had the jetsetter accent from everywhere, and Quinn had spent the last two years making jokes that I laughed like an American, spelled like a Brit, partied like the Irish, and dressed like the French.

"Shut up, _Mate,_" I teased him, forcing the strongest British accent I could.

"I said that once."

"No, you said that once in Britain. It's almost like you're _trying_ here," I smirked, leaning in to him, "This better not be a ploy to get girls. Because you're stuck with me, whether you like it or not."

"If anything it is a ploy to get rid of those girls," James smiled, and I rolled my eyes.

Sometimes, I wasn't sure how he had scored the highest and gotten in to one of the top colleges in the world since he could be so dumb so time. But my mom said it was just boys, all being idiots at heart.

But I liked to think that it was just my James.

"Right. Gorgeous, smart, no problems with commitment, super sweet, a gentleman. But having a sexy British accent would be the big turn off."

James nudged me, and I rolled my amber eyes as the elevator button pinged for us to go on in.

"So I'm guessing you'll take a shower and be in for your shift."

I didn't have many shifts left at Saks before my summer job time expired, but I would still be busy getting ready for what happened after this summer. Finding an apartment, finding enough roommates to get the one I really want, and making sure that I am close enough to James to meet him for tea in the morning.

I did need the money though. Since Dad was paying for part of my apartment and my summer _and_ school, I didn't want to spend _too_ much. But this was the end of the summer, and I couldn't win this thing without Daddy's credit card in my back pocket.

"Nope," I smiled wide, "I'll go in tomorrow. I was thinking having some _Us Time_. Picking up beef pizza, watching that Disney movie we love so much, drinking spiked Jasmine tea. You know, what we did back home," I smiled, nudging him.

"_Us Time?_ Is that the thing where a girl actually spends time with her boyfriend? What a foreign concept? But, when in America, do as the Americans do."

I hip-bumped him as I unlocked the door the apartment and started wriggling out of my cute black dress, and James was cringing at the light as I heard someone clear their throat.

I let out a small scream as I looked to the dining room, where Derrington let out a weak wave

All of the lights were off, but the gentle light from outside drifted in, illuminating his golden hair. Usually, Derrington was hard to miss, and he liked it that way. And that was his secret reason for dressing so weird.

Even though he was already gorgeous enough to be noticed, he wanted to make sure. So, he took time to pick out his mustard yellow top and blue cargo shorts with black high-tops, even though I had often told him that the color of his shirt made me want to throw up.

As his eyes drifted to the dress at my feet and James's eyes widened, I quickly reached down to slide back into my dress, and I pulled on a jacket because I couldn't zip the dress back up.

"How did you get in here?"

"Well, it turns out the landlord is a hopeless romantic. I tried to tell her that I was your brother, but she didn't buy it. So, I told her that I desperately needed to get up here because I was hopelessly in love with you and needed to tell you," Derrington explained, and James's eyes grew hard.

"Why are you here Derrington?"

"Because I really need to talk to you, and you wouldn't answer your phone."

I looked back to my purse, where my dead iphone had sat since the rehearsal dinner.

"What's wrong?" I tried not to moan, and James rolled his eyes.

"I'll go get the pizza," James checked in his back pocket for his wallet, and he nodded goodbye before leaving.

"What?" I let out my moan and turned on the lights as I hurried into the bedroom and locked the door to change, motioning for him still to keep talking.

"My usual problem," Derrington leaned against the door, and I pulled on my soft striped sweater and a pair of shorts.

"I thought you were done with Alicia," I pulled my hair into a ponytail and opened the door to see Derrington again.

"I am, I really am."

I crossed my arms, and he shook his head.

"I was! But Maggie's not…" Derrington pouted, and I reached past the cokes to a beer.

I popped the top to the beer and handed it to him, and he still pouted, though he did drink it.

"Who is Maggie?"

"Maggie Beau."

I still knit my eyebrows in confusion.

"My _girlfriend._"

"I thought you were dating Jenny."

"One date and breakfast the next morning. Didn't last long," Derrington brushed me off, taking another sip of his beer, "But I've been dating Maggie for a long time."

"By Derrington standards?"

"Four dates I think or maybe more, and a relationship status on facebook."

"I've been dating James for _four years!_"

"But you two are just weird, okay? Now about Alicia."

I rolled my eyes and nodded for him to continue.

"Well, Maggie and I went to the mall-"

"You went to the mall on a date? Hey, did you go to Saks? We just got in our new shipment."

"No, she only likes the yogurt place in the mall-"

"Really? Because that TCBY near the park is really the best."

"Massie."

"Sorry. What about Alicia?"

"Okay, so, Maggie and I were about to leave. I was going to take her home because she had some cheer thing or something. And she decided to take a picture for picture. But she couldn't get it to take the picture because she was in it, you know."

"Where does Alicia come in?"

Derrington kept going, not even listening to me.

"And then Alicia walks in, and she looks amazing, as always. But I could tell she had been fighting with someone because she gets this little crinkle on her forehead when she's mad," Derrington tried to replicate it, and I stared, "Maggie calls her over to take the picture! And I don't know. I just couldn't handle it!"

"Derrick," I held my hand up to stop him, "What did Maggie look like?"

"What?"

"Maggie. What was she wearing? How was her hair done? Was she talkative? Quiet?"

"I don't know," he shrugged like I was crazy, "Something pink. Or green. And her hair…. _Blonde_?"

"What did Alicia look like?"

"Her hair was tied up in this bun thing with braids. And she wore a lot of make-up because she was trying to hide the frustration with someone. I think she bought a new dress or something because it was still perfect, you know, and I can't even do that when it _is_ new…" Derrington stopped when he realized what he had just said.

"Does this answer your question?" I asked, leaning back into my chair.

"I guess. But I really like Maggie. And you know Alicia. And-"

"You said it answers your question. Now get out. James is going to be back soon, and I don't want you here," I pulled Derrington up by his horrible shirt, "And get rid of the damn shirt!"

He smiled as he let me push him through the door.

"Have fun on your little date."

"Get out."

"You look good by the way. Plastic Surgery or natural?"

"Natural. Now go through the door," I opened the door.

"Natural? Seriously?"

"Yes," I rolled my eyes, "Now you have a house. Go to it."

"James is a lucky guy," Derrington kissed my cheek, and I rolled my eyes again, trying to get him out as fast as I could.

But it still made me bubbly.

That annoying kind of bubbly. The kind I felt when he kissed me when we were dating.

It wasn't the pure high I got when James kissed me, but it was something.

And something wasn't good.

"Out."

_**Dylan,**_

"Josh, don't be such a baby."

"Take it out."

"You look amazing. No one knows."

"Dylan."

"Erik dyes his hair! And everyone loves him."

"Dylan. _Take. It. Out_."

"Fine," I threw up my hands in exasperation, and I looked around one more time to see if my stylist was coming in early today.

We had a special salon room for them hidden in the old pool house, where Brenda also had an apartment for when work was really busy. It came equipped with everything from dye to touch up our hair to the most expensive make-up to turn our worst days into our best.

I didn't like coming in here, but I did when I had to.

And Josh had made it clear that I had to.

I put the harsh shampoo, which we used to get rid of the black that I dyed my hair to be in a movie, in my hands and rubbed it around in his wet hair, rolling my eyes as I did so.

I couldn't quite understand what his big problem with having his hair dyed was, but it was bugging him like crazy.

He hadn't liked it when it happened for the wedding, and he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since. I tried everything to make him forget that Lucia dyed his hair a crisper black for the cameras this weekend, but Josh didn't go for it. And it hadn't helped that his best friends had been teasing him about it.

Finally, today, he demanded that I fixed his hair.

I tried to talk him out of it, but he didn't listen. He walked towards the salon room, and I had to follow him. And I even started naming off reasons that this dye was good for him as he wet his hair.

"What is it with some guys not being able to handle dying their hair and then others doing it every ten minutes? Erik has _green hair_ now."

"I'm not Erik."

I rolled my eyes and kept massaging the black dye out of his hair.

"I thought this looked good."

"Sucks for you."

I stuck my tongue out at my boyfriend, but he was so happy to get the dye out of his hair that he didn't notice.

No matter the fact that we had been together for almost seven months, it felt like we had been together for years like Josh and Alicia.

Luckily, announcing to the world that I had "stolen Alicia's boyfriend" hadn't hurt Josh. It had brought my America's Favorite Sweetheart image into question, but I didn't much care about that. If it had hurt me in any way, it gave Alicia some pity points on GG, and she was catching up.

Showing her leadership and "humanity" by giving CeCe the beanie after what she did had given her points. Announcing that CeCe and Blake felt horrible about what they did but did love each other had helped. And Olivia keeping her skirt on, or at least not telling who she was screwing around with, was a big bonus.

I was getting a little scared that we would lose.

And I didn't like the feeling.

Finally, when I felt like I had scrubbed a layer of my skin off, I found that all of the dye was out and that his hair was back to its old brown-black it had always been.

"Welcome back, Brunette," I smirked as washed the rest of the shampoo out, and Josh smiled.

"I'm a brunette again!" Josh raised his hand for me to high-five it, and I rolled my eye as I did.

"My boyfriend has officially lost his mind."

"Oh that thing? I lost it months ago. I thought you knew."

"Yes, you were crazy enough to date a girl with a reality TV show."

"And I was crazy enough to date Alicia for two years."

I didn't like to talk about his days when he dated Alicia, but I knew they would have to come up some time. But it was so hard for me to think that he had _really_ dated her and that he had even loved her for a while.

Josh told me everything.

He told me about how he had been in love with Alicia from the time they were in middle school. He knew she had changed when she became alpha, but she was really the same Alicia underneath. And then, one day, she wasn't.

She went to the Semester at Sea program, and something happened.

Alicia went to Spain for the summer, and, when she got back, she wasn't the same Alicia he had loved. But he stayed because he thought that she could come back. And then I came into the picture.

He told me that he grew bitter of Alicia, and he began to not even want the old Alicia that he had fallen in love with anymore.

"Uh, Dylan?"

I smiled apologetically as I realized I had just been standing there while I thought, and I quickly turned off the water and put a towel on his head.

"Thanks, Dyl," he smiled, pulling me so close that his wet hair dripped on to me , "I wuv you!"

He spun me around like a weighed less than a dried leaf, and I began to laugh like I was insane.

"Josh, put me down!"

He began to spin faster, and I laughed louder.

And we kept spinning until we finally fell to floor, not sure if we should keep laughing or moan in pain.

"You're insane," I kept laughing as I tried to push Josh off of me, but he just smiled.

"And that's why you love me," Josh kissed me, and I only stopped laughing to kiss him back.

_Bring, Bring, Bring._

I pulled away from Josh to look to see where the noise was coming from, and I scrambled to get to the intercom that my mom set up last year.

"Hello?" I pressed the button, and Josh wrapped his arms around my waist and set his wet head on my shoulder, kissing my neck.

"Good mornin', it's me, Georgia Athony," an almost sickly sweet Louisiana accent came through the intercom.

Georgia Anthony.

Yes, an Anthony child. Daughter of mega-famous director Andrew Anthony and Melissa Anthony. Yeah those famous people who named their children after where they were born, all six of them.

Georgia was the sixth child. Her two brothers were named California, the eldest, (Cal as he liked to be called) and Nevada, the fifth child, (Ada as he chose to be called). No one was sure if Carolina or her brother Charleston (Charles) was the third or fourth. And little Georgia was the last.

The Anthony's took their many beautiful children to Louisiana after Georgia was born, and they stayed there. Melissa and Andrew still lived in their gorgeous plantation, and Melissa started a fashion label for the _"__True Southern Bell"_ even though she was from a small town in Southern France.

California was a producer. Nevada was one of the hottest guys in the movies, winning World's Sexiest Man last year. Carolina owned the most productive and best to shop at boutique in LA, one that I had spent two years trying to get in to. Charleston was a best-selling author, engaged to one of the most beautiful women in the world.

And Georgia was the woman of Television.

She ran the History Channel before moving on to MTV, which she whipped into shape. Then she tackled Teen Nick before handing it over to Nick Cannon because she got bored. And finally she went to CW, which she planned to stay at from what I heard.

She had been talking to my mom for weeks now.

"This is Dylan Marvil. My mom is in LA. I could have her call you," I melted into Josh, but then Georgia buzzed in again.

"I'm not here to see your momma, Dylan. We already finished our deal, Darlin'. I'm actually here to talk to you. Do you have any time, or should I come back tomorrow?"

Talk to me.

About what?

"Um," I looked back to Josh apologetically, "Of course. I'll be at the door soon."

_**Kristen,**_

And score!

The new generation of the Soccer Sisters stared at me in shock as I made another goal, and I took a deep breath.

When my old coach found out I was back in town, she begged me to come show these new girls a thing or two. And, since I didn't actually have anything planned since Dempsey was off on a retreat in Africa (though I probably wouldn't have anything planned _anyway_), I had accepted the offer.

It felt good again to play.

Soccer made sense.

While Dempsey was always sending mixed signals, soccer was simple. You scored or you didn't.

This was what I missed.

No Clique Wars.

No crazy ex-best friends.

No being jealous of my best friends and their perfect boyfriends.

And absolutely _no Dempsey._

He was taking so long!

I understood that we friends, and I understood that I had just left him like an old earing in my closet when I moved to Florida.

But it wasn't like I had just broken his heart cruelly.

Dempsey had trouble because we were always so busy with soccer. He couldn't have handled me being Florida, and I couldn't handle him being here. Girls were already chasing him, even when I was right beside him. When I was gone….

I didn't see us become bitter and hateful and eventually sever all ties.

But apparently Dempsey hadn't seen it like that.

Or maybe he always took forever to ask a girl out.

Or maybe…

Well, maybe he doesn't…

I shook away the thought and reached for a for a bottle of specially made Gatorade that only came to the Soccer Sisters, something I had actually missed when I took the offer in Florida.

"That's our Kristen!" my coach smiled proudly, clapping me on the back, and the older soccer sisters glared at me.

Even though I had been a soccer sister, I knew I wasn't one anymore. I grew up, and I left for bigger and better things. They didn't really care about that, though they said they were mad for it. They really cared that_ I_ got the offer, not them.

One day, I would go to the World Cup, and I would go to the Olympics. Little girls would ask me for my autograph, and I would get the coveted Nike endorsement most likely.

Well, if I took one of the offers.

And I had to admit that the offer from the new up-and-coming New York team was uber-tempting, and they desperately wanted _the_ Kristen Gregory to join their team.

But I wasn't sure I wanted to tie myself to soccer and _only_ soccer for the rest of my life.

I smiled weakly, and the other girls all took their own bottles of Gatorade.

"So I heard about you and Dempsey," my old coach, Jen, sat down on the bench with what she thought was a whisper, but she had never been able to whisper, "Perfect match! You always were the star players!"

"No, no," I blushed, pulling my short hair out of a ponytail, annoyed that Brenda made me give my amazing extensions back, "We're not…"

Now I was just annoyed as I finished.

"_Together_."

"Why so mad, Gregory?"

Jen was like a second mom to me, and it felt weird to not be telling her everything about Dempsey.

But, God, I wasn't sure I knew _anything_ about him anymore.

"I don't think he's interested."

Simple, I guess. There's more. An entire summer to accompany those words…

But true.

"You're kidding right?" Jen laughed as she took a long gulp of her Gatorade, "You're the _One that Got Away _to him! When you left, it was like you were the only person in this town! He only showed up at school so he could play soccer, but he wasn't the same."

"Then why hasn't he done anything?"

With my athlete friends, Dempsey would have been the big gentlemen. We all had dated other athletes and didn't have time to play games, and we barely had time for the actual dating either. So a guy who didn't immediately do something was like the holy grail to them.

But a summer is not like waiting a week to call.

"Don't ask me. I've never been good with men," Jen held up her hand without a wedding ring.

She had been married three times.

The first husband, Chris I think, was a hot soccer player when they went to college together. It was a match in heaven to their fellow students, and Jen had given up a possible career as a soccer player in LA for him. They got married when they were twenty-four, and they had two kids, Ashley and Elian. And, on her thirtieth birthday, Chris filed for divorce and ran off to California with a twenty-two year old soccer player he had coached and fooled around with for two years.

Jen's second husband, Henry, was the love of her live. He was Ashley's soccer coach, and they had been friends for years before they started dating. And they got married three years later. They had a son, Andy, and everything was fine until Andy was about six. Henry was going to work, and a drunk driver missed red light just as Henry was driving across.

Jen's final husband, Steven, was really just a rebound guy, and they broke up as such, with him demanding alimony.

When Henry died, her daughters were middle schoolers, and they focused their pain into soccer. So Jen created the Soccer Sisters for Elian and Ashley, who were now the stars on the US team, preparing for the World Cup. And Jen, who had sworn off men after what happened with Steven, loved to focus her life into this.

"Steven doesn't count," I reminded her, and she shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," she shook her head, "Now why don't _you_ tell Dempsey?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I… I don't know. I just can't, okay?"

"No, you're _scared_."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. You don't want to lose Dempsey again, and he doesn't want to lose you. And neither of you will just say anything!"

I rolled my eyes, and I was about to retort something back when a car horn honked.

"If I'm not back to work soon, my dad will kill me!" Griffon honked again.

My rental car was having trouble, so we gave it back. And I was still waiting for my car from Florida to come in.

So, until my Jeep built for carry girls and their soccer equipment came in, I was stuck riding with friends. Massie had been a doll, and Claire had been great too now that she left the play.

But Massie had work. Dylan had the show. Bay had to work. Layne was still working on her music all the time. And Claire took a new job at the Candy Store because of one of Olivia's best HF (Ho Friend) was out on maternity leave with the football coach's baby, though no one could prove it and we all knew.

So I got stuck with _Griffon_.

I loved Griffon, he was a great friend.

But a terrible driver, the kind that you pray you will make it out of the car alive, and he is forgetful to pick you up.

"That's my ride," I pulled my backpack onto my shoulder, and I took another gulp of Gatorade.

"You're boyfriend is a jerk.

"Him? No, I'm _happy_ I'm not dating him."

_**Claire,**_

I crinkled my nose as I looked back at my uniform.

The candy shop had always been my favorite place here, and I loved the owners. But the uniform's sucked.

My tee shirt had _Candy Emporium_ written in candy cane letters, and it was too tight on the bottom and too big on the top. There was a vest with licorice stripes, and it showed off how much I lacked in curves. I had to war this weird candy cane bow in my hair every day, so I had worked it into a braid today. And my skinny jeans had this horrible swirling sherbet thing that looked like a kid had eaten too much ice cream and puked on my pants.

I was scared to look on GG because I knew pictures of me in this uniform would be everywhere by now.

No, I was really cared to look on GG because of what I heard girls gossiping about as I went to grab some pizza for lunch.

Alyssa's latest article had been about Erik.

Where he was going.

Who he was seeing.

How he was handling the break-up.

Everything.

I wasn't sure if he had told yet about me and Cam, but CeCe probably would soon.

I had only seen Erik once since that night at the theatre.

He had been in CVS, picking out non-permanent green dye to try out green. He had been talking about changing the navy in his hair when we had been dating, but I never thought he'd do it. I wasn't sure if he saw me at the store. I was too scared to go talk to him. So, he got the dye and checked out, driving off in his grey Camero he loved so much.

It was over, and I understood completely.

I was okay with being alone, and I was doing great without Erik's constant talk of the _Art of Filming_.

But I kind of wished that it hadn't had to happen. At least, not like _that_.

I was broken out of my thoughts when I heard the bell chime as someone walked in.

Worried it was my boss, I quickly walked away from the mirrors and pretended to be cleaning an ice cream scooper.

"So you're the one who took the job here."

I looked up and there he was again.

Cam.

He smiling a friendly smile, and it felt strangely natural, not weird like it should have been.

"You wanted it?"

"The job, no. The discounts, yes."

I smiled, and Cam leaned over to look at the ice creams.

"Hmm… I'm guessing there isn't an ex-boyfriend discount?"

"Discount? Being the ex-boyfriend usually does the _opposite_ to the price."

"Then I am Cal, Cam's cousin who looks exactly like him.

I was about to retort something back, but then the door chime rang again, this time with my boss.

It was basically my first day, and I definitely didn't want to make a bad impression.

"What can I get you, Cal? Our Nutter Butter Ice Cream is the best in New York," I smiled, and my boss's thin lips formed a smile before he went back into his office, which happened to be the only part of the store that didn't look like Candy Land.

"Root beer Float, actually."

"With chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla."

It was supposed to be a question, but it honestly wasn't.

Cam couldn't decide if he should smile or stare at me.

When we were fifteen, there was this big ice cream shortage around here one summer, and that happened to be the summer when it was the _hottest_. And, one day, Cam and I went to our favorite ice cream shop, and they were out of `vanilla. But Cam just decided to have chocolate ice cream in the float.

And he's been hooked ever since.

How did I remember that?

"Yeah," Cam nodded, and I quickly started working on it.

But I couldn't stop thinking about how I remembered that.

Or how I remembered everything about him.

Or how I hadn't stopped myself that night.

Suddenly, my thoughts about Erik faded away and made room for another ex, Cameron Fisher.

I was so busy thinking that I almost ran the root beer over the top, but I quickly snapped out of it as I put sprinkles, only the red ones, in the float. And Cam's eyes widen as he saw that I still remembered that he only liked red sprinkles.

"Thanks," Cam nodded, "How much do I owe you?"

"It's two," I pointed towards the clock, and he knit his eyebrows in confusion, "Every Wednesday, at two, free ice cream."

"I'll remember that," Cam smiled, "Well, good luck with the job."

It was awkward to say goodbye.

And it was weird for him to be wishing my luck with my job since he was the reason I lost my last.

"Thanks."

He nodded goodbye, and I looked back to my sidekick.

_I'm ready…_ I told myself_, I can look at it now._

While I knew that my boss would be on the phone with his grandson, I quickly typed in the address online for Gossip Girl, which Alyssa had taken over months ago.

Since Alyssa had become GG, she… well, she became Gossip Girl.

She got all of the coolest clothes for free for stores because no one wanted to mess with her. She got extensions and dyed her hair the special golden blonde that only Jakob can create, and her loyal GG-Fans paid for it all. The last time I saw her, she was going to the most expensive restaurant with her new boyfriend, the star of the ADHD football team, in a seven hundred dollar prada mini dress, three hundred dollar ankle boots, and a new diamond necklace, none of which she had to pay for.

From what I heard, she was lobbying to become the new Alpha this fall, planning to move to Westchester to keep living this life.

And she had even tried to get Massie's endorsement, but she had denied it. And I was worried that Alicia would give it to her though.

_Erik Gomez Back On the Town Again_

_Everyone was surprised when Erik Gomez and Claire Lyons broke up, and no one knows what ruined the couple._

_But they are both getting on with their lives._

_After the break-up, Claire quit working at the Theatre, and she went to the Hamptons with her friends for the big wedding between Ryan and Dean soon to be seen on TV by the world. And, when she returned, she got a job working at the _Candy Emporium _for the rest of the summer._

_But whatever happened to Erik?_

_Well, GossipGirl set out to find out what happened to the adorable little bad boy, and I'm here to share it with you._

_Erik went back to being our favorite prince in _Wicked_, which is still doing amazing here, and he's been seen out and about._

_First with friends, like his fellow actors to celebrate the first week of the play._

_But has Erik found a new girl?_

_He's been seen out with Julia Greene, who played the wicked witch in _Wicked_, and everyone is wondering if he is sporting his new bright green look for her as well. When asked if she and Erik were together, Julia said that they were just good friends._

_But is Erik tired of good girls like Claire and out for a wicked witch to ride off with on a flying broomstick?_

_Keep reading GossipGirl to find out._

_-GG_

I looked through the pictures of Erik laughing with his friends at the arcade, his favorite place. A pictures of Erik eating pizza while practicing his lines with Julia. Pictures of the play, where he got a standing ovation. A picture of Erik walking through the mall with Julia and his non-permanent green hair. And an old picture of us at the Arcade on our first date.

I wanted to be upset that he had moved on, but I was okay, though the idea of him with Julia made me a little sick.

And I was ready to move on, too.

I was.

It would take longer than I had thought it would, but I could do it.

I just had to take step one.

I pressed the home button and went to my contacts, where my finger hesitated over the contact for Erik Gomez.

The picture for him was one of him without his shirt at the pool, showing off some of his tattoos and wearing his piercings. He was smiling wide and putting up a peace sign to make me laugh. And he had jokingly drawn a _C.L._ on his chest to ask if he should get that tattoo, too.

_Deep breath, just take a deep breath,_ I told myself as I reached for the delete button.

It asked me if I was sure, and I nodded.

"I'm sure."

I pressed the button, and the contact was gone.

_**Alicia's thing is next chapter**_


	21. Choices

_**Alicia,**_

"Piper Amelia Rivera," I ran my finger over her soft cheek, and she stared up at me with her big green yes.

She was three weeks and three days old.

And she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"We'll be back soon, by midnight at the latest. And we'll stop and pick up some diapers. And baby formula. And do you want pizza?" my mom asked as she put her pearl earring and had my dad put my expensive pearl necklace on.

"Mom, we'll be fine."

This morning, everything finally went through.

Piper's mom was about my age.

When her parents found out that their baby was pregnant with the star quarterback's baby, they freaked out, and they took their daughter out of school as soon as they found out, taking her on a tour of China to "find their heritage" and enjoy their last few months with their daughter before she went to college, but they were just trying to hide her pregnancy.

The problem was that Mary wanted the baby, and the father, blonde and green eyed Will, wanted Piper, too. They spent the last month fighting for Piper, but they finally realized that Piper would have a better life with us.

And it might have had to do with the fact that I pulled them aside and said that they could see Piper if they called me.

God, why was I being so…. _nice?_

But I couldn't help it.

Whenever I looked into Piper's big green eyes, I just couldn't stop.

It was almost like a high when I first held her.

It had worn off a little bit but not enough for me to be me anymore.

"Of course you will, Alicia and boo-tih-fuh Piper," my mom smiled at my little sister.

My mom had gone into baby-mode as soon as she saw Piper.

Which is why I was so surprised that she was going to the charity tonight.

She had been planning this Charity for three months, and she hadn't anticipated that this would be the day we got Piper. And she couldn't get out of it, no matter how much she tried.

"They'll be alright, Sweetie. Now we're going to be late if we don't leave," my father reminded my mom, taping his expensive watch and smiling as he watched the three girls in his life.

The three girls in his life.

Wow, that felt weird.

I was used to being one of the two, and, for a while, I was used to being the only one during my mom's eight month long NYC-Shopping-Addiction, when she was rarely home.

"Bye," I let out a weak wave to my parents, and I stood to let Piper wave good bye.

Oh great, I was like those dorks on facebook who post pictures of them making their dog wave to the camera.

But I couldn't stop.

Piper was a dose of LBR-LCD.

And I strangely luhved it.

"We'll be home soon."

"Mom_. Leave._"

"Okay, okay," my mom held up her hand in surrender.

And this time she finally did, though my dad had to drag her out of here.

Piper's nursery was all situated, and everything was here for the little baby.

Everything but her new parents…

"And I thought leaving me in my crib with a nanny while they slept was bad, they completely left you," I smiled weakly, rolling my eyes.

They'd be here for Piper, I knew they would, but I still felt something in me that wanted to come back every now and then and see that they were doing it right.

And my clueless parents would miss a lot of things if I let them because they'd think that they had it all under control since they already raised a kid. They would be dumb enough to buy H&M purses for her first day of school which would leave her teased. They would give her a credit card for her thirteenth birthday and be shocked when they saw the bill, taking it away. And they would be crazy enough not to get the unlimited plan when she got her first smart phone.

"You know, I almost had a baby once," I smiled at Piper as I got up from the rocking chair and turned on the MTV marathon of _Sixteen and Pregnant_.

Piper stared up at me with her bright green eyes.

"Well, I wasn't pregnant. But I thought I was. And it caused a lot of problems, too," I smiled weakly.

Piper's un-judgmental eyes kept watching me.

I knew that she was only a baby, but I had a feeling she wouldn't have judged me anyway.

"Being Alpha isn't as much fun as I thought it would be," I admitted, "I pictured it as being the queen of everything. Setting all the trends. Dating the cutest boys. Being loved by all. But it isn't easy to be loved by all…"

And I just kept going.

"I will always be compared to her, to Massie. And she comes in, and it's like, _Alicia who?_ And, if things weren't bad enough, she took Derrington! I mean, why couldn't she stay with her perfect life in England with her quirky friends and castle and super-amazing boyfriend and everything else? Why did she have to come back and take everything from me?"

I would have kept going and going, but then I noticed I was screaming and Piper was about to cry.

"No, don't cry, Baby. I just wish I could start this summer over again."

That was the only thing I could decide on.

A few months ago, I could make decisions in an instant and trust them forever.

Now I can't decide on anything.

"Besides, why should you cry when you're the lucky one, huh? You have your entire life to find out who you want to be. I am the one who did everything to become this person and isn't even sure that this is who I want to be."

_**Dylan,**_

"Think about it, Dylan. CW wants you. They want you on a show, a serious TV show. A drama about the new girl in the modeling school, and they want you to play the star, Bre!" Georgia smiled, and I stared at her across the table.

Josh had left about thirty minutes ago, but it felt like an eternity.

"That's an amazing offer," I tried to play coy, but I was freaking out inside.

I could be the next Allie Abbot!

No, I could be _better_ than Allie Abbot.

This was her show, I guess, but Bre could be the next star.

I was already America's Sweetheart.

Give it a year, and I could make my character just as loved as Allie's Sara.

"Wonderful, Darling! I'll just get Allie on the phone. She's in New York City with her friends for the weekend, and I'm sure I could get her here before she leaves for LA for shooting-"

"Wait, what?" I stopped, and Georgia stopped from pressing the send button on her iPhone.

"You don't want to meet Allie? Well, you'll get to know her well in LA, I'm sure. And, since you'll be playing her new roommate, you'll have to work together a lot. So, I guess I just thought you would want to meet her now-"

"No, no, you said shooting. Why would she be leaving now?"

"The new season starts shooting in two weeks."

I froze.

"What?"

"Didn't I tell you that?" Georgia shrugged, getting another glass of Sweet Tea from the pitcher, "I could get you in the up-in-coming apartment building that all of the stars are dying to get into, and you could pick something out later. But you'll need something at the beginning of shooting, and you won't be there long before we get on a plane to Paris for six months after Reilly runs away to France because she thinks she is pregnant-"

"Paris? Six months?"

"You have a problem with it?" Georgia knit her eyebrows in confusion.

She hadn't even thought that I would have a problem with it.

A few months ago, I wouldn't have.

By this time, I would be in a car driving to NYC to meet Allie Abbot and send Brenda searching for the perfect apartment in California.

But now?

I had my friends and I had Josh. And I didn't want to give that up…

"Paris? And LA? In a few weeks? I mean, that's pretty sudden," I pushed my hair behind my ear.

"Dylan, this is the big break you've been waiting for forever. And you want to give it up because you have plans at the end of the month?"

"Georgia-"

"Dylan, I love you and I love your Momma. That's why I fought so hard for your benefit. I want you on this show as Bre Quinn, a small town girl in the big city of LA to follow her dreams and become a model. Isn't that what you want?"

"Can't I just have some time to think about it?"

"Listen, we start shooting soon, and they need someone cast to replace Trixie O'Donald after she left to make that horror movie. We want you, but, if you take too long, we will choose someone else."

I stared at Georgia and she smiled apologetically.

"That's life, Baby. I wish it was nicer, but this is Show Business."

"How long do I have to think about it?"

"Seventy-two hours. Then the deal is off the table."

"Seventy-two hours?"

"Dylan, we need an answer, Baby. I want you for the role, but, if you don't take it, I will give it to someone else."

Someone else.

By someone else, she meant Alexis.

Alexis had been America's Sweetheart before me as the star of _This Is How We Do It_, a soap opera that she had been on since she was thirteen. When the Pilgrims (Alexis's family's name on the show) left the show for a while on an agreement that they could always come back for a big soap opera return, Alexis tried to be a film star.

We both went after the same movie as our first role, and I got the part.

Ever since then, we had been enemies, trying to see who was better.

"Alexis Noah," the words felt horrible coming off my tongue, and I began to worry that I would vomit all over Georgia's light blue business suit.

"She wants the part, Sugar, and I tried to get you in it. But, if you take too long, Alexis will be Bre, you understand?"

Her southern sweet accent made me want to vomit any more.

Somehow, her voice made it sound sweet, but she was really threatening to give the best offer I had ever gotten to my worst enemy.

"I'll think about it," I finally told Georgia, and she smiled.

"Well, Darling, I've got to get to the City by dinner. Chess and I are going out tonight," Georgia smiled, and she pulled her sunglasses to sit on her nose instead of being used as a hairband to pull back her blonde curls.

Georgia looked like the actresses she recruited for her shows.

She had long curly hair that looked like gold in the right light. She had silky navy blue eyes, and she had gotten the perfect body from playing tennis with her superstar tennis player fiancé Chester Tyler. And she never had a moment of imperfection.

Whoever she had as her stylist, I wanted them.

"Goodbye, Georgia."

She let out a cute little wave before letting herself out the front door.

And I finally met myself think of what just happened.

Eh. Ma. _Gawd!_

_**Kristen,**_

"You're home," my cousin stared at me, giving my outfit a once over.

When she moved back in for the summer, I had spent most of my time elsewhere.

For the last two nights, I slept on the futon in Bay's office. And, last week, I stay a while in Layne's house, but the neon had eventually started giving my headaches. After a fight with my cousin though, I was about to dial up Dylan and ask if I could stay in one of the guest rooms at her place, even if that did mean cameras all around me.

Today, I had to borrow some of Bay's clothes, but I tried to make it unnoticeable.

I wore a belt with the polka dot tee shirt to help make her c-cup shirt work with my b-cup chest. My blue skirt was mine, and I had to borrow a pair of Bay's sandals since my Nikes were still in the wash after going for a jog in the rain. My short hair had been curled by Bay with a braid pulling it out of my eyes, and I had borrowed Layne's leather jacket.

It wasn't really me, but it was better than wearing a sweaty tee shirt and jeans all day.

"Yeah, came to get some clothes. I was staying with Bay," I told her, and, though she had never met any of my friends, she knew them from GG.

_Sometimes I could swear she was fifteen…_

"Sure, _Bay_," my cousin nodded, rolling her eyes, and she reached into her hot pink prada bag.

I narrowed my eyes at what she was implying.

"Listen, I found thes in the mail. They're addressed to_ you_," my cousin handed me the packages as if she was carrying a bomb.

I made a mental reminder to find someone else to stay with tonight.

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes and put them in my leather tote as I quickly darted up the stairs and into my room.

When I got into my room, the mail was the last thing on my mind.

I quickly shucked off the borrowed clothes and turned on the shower.

I took my time scrubbing the hair spray out of my blonde hair, and I took even longer to wash Layne's make-up off my face. By the time that the hot water was cooling down, I turned the shower off and reached for a towel.

While I was wrapping the towel around me, my gaze lingered on my back, where I had a tattoo of a soccer ball.

For my eighteenth birthday, my friends and I all went out, and we were feeling a little crazy. A few drinks had helped us along, and Anna and I were laughing about how funny it would be to get a tattoo. We kept talking about it, and, by the end of the night, we were yelling at each other about whose idea it had been to get the tattoo as the pain began to set in.

Soccer….

_I had to admit that I missed it._

I pulled a cute orange dress on and forced my hair into a ponytail, and I was about to start packing up some clothes to get away from my cousin when I came across the mail again.

"Right… the bomb," I rolled my eyes, and I tore open a random envelope.

I gasped.

_We would be delighted if you would join us this fall…._

"Ehmagawd!" I hugged the paper.

I'm in.

The best college in the state of New York for medical research.

They want me!

I kept reading through, and I looked to the bottom, smiling even wider.

"On scholarship for the soccer team!" I began to laugh I was so happy.

I could worry later how I would tell my mom. For now, I just wanted to enjoy the high that came with knowing that I got into my dream school. I had applied to others in case, but this was the one I wanted more than anything.

I didn't pay much attention as I reached for the next letter, knowing that it was probably from another college or something.

I opened it slowly, mentally thinking about what the letter from the college had just read.

"Eh-ma-_GAWD!_" I smiled as I read through the paper, feeling my heart race with every word.

They-they want…. _me._

Me!

One of the best soccer teams in the _world_ wanted me, right here in New York!

I looked through the rest of the package, still skimming over the letter.

A brochure on the team. A little booklet full with numbers that I may need to call to learn more. A picture of the current team, and a bio of every player that had accepted to play with them this year.

I felt like a giddy school girl as I ran to my cell phone charging, and I fumbled with the iphone, searching for my mom's contact.

I was about to press the button and was planning how I would tell her the wonderful news when I suddenly looked back and saw the other letter.

From the college….

Oh God, I-I forgot.

I put the phone back down and stared at the two letters.

Which one did I want to take?

And I only had two weeks before I had to make a decision…

By then, they would take my silence as a decline, and I would be completely screwed.

I moaned and threw a little sculpture of cupid to the wall, sending it breaking into pieces.

"What was that?" my cousin had to yell for her voice to be heard from the kitchen, and I quickly slid on my shoes and shoved clothes and the letters into a bag.

"Nothing! I've got to go!" I quickly ran down the back stairs so I wouldn't have to see her.

_**Claire,**_

I licked my ice cream cone as Cam reclined into the bench and stared at the band practicing.

When I had gotten out of my shift at work, I was about to call Todd since he was borrowing the car to go somewhere with Blaire, but then Cam came out from a music shop with his guitar. And, like Cam, he hadn't noticed that I was trying to avoid him, had come up to me.

When he asked me to go to a cool band playing in the park, I had caved and agreed to come.

It actually wasn't as bad as I had assumed when I got here.

But I hated that I hadn't at least had a chance to change out of my sherbet jeans.

"So, whatever happened to your band?" I nudged Cam, and he shook his head.

"Let's face it. We practiced once a year and just sat around laughing and playing video games the rest of the year."

I began to laugh, and I nodded in agreement.

"You're horrible."

Cam smiled, and I rolled my eyes.

"So, what do you do know?"

"What?"

"I mean, without practice. We broke up when the band split."

That was the easiest way to describe how he had chosen Layne's side over mine, claiming that he didn't know who I was anymore or did he want to know.

"I don't know. I focused on soccer, started working at the store. And, when I started dating CeCe, she was so demanding that free time became an old memory."

I hesitated.

I knew that we would probably have to talk about CeCe and Erik later on, but I didn't expect it to be this early.

"Why did you start dating CeCe?"

Cam, shocked, looked up at me, and I tried to seem more interested in my ice cream cone than what we were talking about.

But I was so interested it that it almost hurt.

Why had he gone to her? Why had he stayed with her?

And why did he never even think about trying to reconcile me after all those years together, even though he really hated CeCe?

"I don't know. She was pretty, and she as a cheerleader. And all of my friends dated girls like her," Cam shrugged, knitting his eyebrows in confusion as if he was still trying to figure it out, "Why Erik?"

"I don't know," I shrugged.

But I did know, but I wasn't sure how to tell him that I had to get away from Cam by dating Erik.

"He was there. And he was nice. And he was good to me, and things were great between us. So," I shrugged, "it just _happened._"

That wasn't _exactly_ it, but it was pretty close.

Well as close to the truth as I would ever tell Cam.

"Yeah," he nervously ruffled his hair, "I get there. He's a nice guy and everything. I just… you know, wish I hadn't…. ruined it for you guys."

"It wasn't just you, Cam. It was… well, it was _us_."

"Don't you remember, Claire?_ I_ kissed you."

"No, no, we kissed. You didn't…" I trailed off as the memory hit me, "Ehmagawd."

"Yeah," Cam shook his head, "You remember now. And you hate me now."

"No, no, I don't. I kissed back."

I wasn't lying.

It didn't change anything in that manner.

But why had he kissed me?

As I looked back at him, suddenly I saw something else.

Actually, I saw our romantic comedy flash in front of my eyes.

It was something that I would go to see.

Where the couple were together since they were young, and they broke up on a fluke. They went along dating people to try to get away from each other, but they couldn't, no matter how much they tried. They went along for a few hours becoming friends, but then a big moment would happen that would lead them to get back together.

And then they would live happily ever after with three kids and a cute little house in the country club.

God, was Layne right when she teased me about me and Cam?

Actually, was _everyone _right when they teased us?

Could Cam and I end up together at the end?

Had everything worked the way it did so that we could get back together?

All that pain, all of it.

Maybe it was worth it.

"I'm going to grab another ice cream. Do you want another one?"

I shook my head as I kept licking at my chocolate ice cream, and I couldn't help but watch Cam go to get an ice cream cone, though I tried to make it look like I was watching the band.

How could I have been so blind?

Cam was the perfect guy all along.

Though I felt silly for doing it, I began to imagine what I would tell our kids.

That we had dated as middle schoolers?

Or that we had fought for years before realizing it was love?

But then Cam reached in his pocket and brought out his cell phone.

His face fell, and his jaw tightened as he began to talk to the person.

He slowly started walking to me, and I could only hear what he said before hanging up.

"Fine, I said I would come, okay?" he pressed the end button and put his phone down on the bench, trying not to seem as angry as he looked.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I just-I just," Cam looked around for an excuse, "I forgot napkins, I will be back in a minute."

He quickly started towards the ice cream cart again, and his phone began to buzz.

I didn't pry, I really didn't.

But his phone had a preview of the text pop up.

_You better come, Cameron._

But my eyes were stuck on the contact.

I gasped and looked back to him.

"CeCe."

_Maybe it isn't like that_, my anger began to grow, _We're just friends, _if_ that._

_**Massie,**_

"Why did you come to the pool without a swimsuit?" Derrington asked as he took a drink from his fruity drink and pulled his raybands off to look at me.

"I'm wearing a swimsuit," I rolled my eyes as I flipped the page of Elle to some story about a new up-in-coming artist.

"No, you are wearing a cover-up. Girls don't actually come to the pool to swim," Derrington told me as if I should have already known this.

"They don't come to the _swimming_ pool to _swim_?"

"No, they come to show off. There are two times when a girl can dress like a slut and no one can say anything. Halloween and when they go to the pool. Look around," Derrington motioned to the crowded Country Club pool.

I had to admit that he was kind of right.

There were probably three girls in the pool and triple that flirting with boys outside the pool and even more tanning in their barely-there bikinis.

And who do you think was leading the action?

Skye Hamilton, the one who made this pool the best hangout during the summer.

And she seemed to have moved on from trying to steal James to taking Derrington away from Maggie.

Derrington didn't mind, actually he _loved_ it.

Maggie, on the other hand, stomped off after calling Skye a few choice words.

Maybe it was the mimosa's working or maybe it was just trying to show up Skye after our little spat a last summer, but I wriggled out of my purple sheer cover-up to reveal the bikini that I had to hide from James when I left since he was still upset about Derrington seeing me in my underwear.

And Derrington's eyes widened.

It's not like it was anything he hadn't seen before, but he had had a few drinks now and didn't have to worry about James killing him for staring.

And was it wrong that I liked that he was staring?

I brushed off the thought and reclined back into the chair, happily noting that Skye's jaw had dropped as she looked at me.

Funny what a few tennis lessons can do, huh?

I would have told her that, but that would require moving, and I was perfectly comfortable where I was.

"Tsk-tsk, John would have a heart-attack if he saw you like this."

"For the millionth time, his name is _James."_

"James, John, same thing."

"They are two completely different names-"

"So, does the rebel want to get in the pool?"

"No, I'm fine right here," I reached for my mimosa, and I was about to take a leisurely sip of it when I suddenly felt Derrington wrapped his arms around me.

I was so shocked that I couldn't even make out a scream as Derrington threw me into the pool.

I pulled myself to the surface and started splashing at him as he laughed.

"Derrick! You little son of a-" I was cut off by a mom putting her hands over her thirteen year old daughter's ears, who just rolled her eyes.

Derrington laughed harder.

So I did what every other girl would do.

I wrapped my hand around his ankle and pulled him in.

"This is a brand new watch!" Derrington pointed to his wrist.

"And these were brand new lowlights!" I pointed to my hair, which had once been a perfect curly ponytail and was now a wet mess.

"You can always get your hair redone!"

"You can always buy a new watch!"

Derrington opened his mouth to keep this going, but he just started laughing instead.

And I don't know what it is about Derrington's laugh.

Maybe it was the way his teeth were just as perfect as the rest of him. Or how cute his little chuckle was. Or how he held his stomach, doubling over as he laughed. Or maybe it was just because he was so hot that you loved everything he did.

But it warms you heart and quickly becomes infectious.

So, without meaning to, I started laughing at him laughing. And he started laughing at me laughing. And then we just kept laughing at each other until we started splashing.

Well, then we started laughing because we were acting like six year olds.

Had Derrington always been this fun?

Or had he gotten more fun as he got more handsome?

I wasn't sure, but I had to admit that I liked being around him.

"Too bad you're taken, Block. We are absolutely perfect for each other," Derrington kept laughing, and I was laughing to.

But then I began to think about it.

We actually _were_.

I loved how different James and I are, but I'm so similar to Derrington. We understand each other, our alpha ways.

Wait, I couldn't possibly be comparing Derrington to _James_?

I loved James!

And not that teenager kind of love where you swear that you'll love him forever but hate him two weeks later.

This was real love, and I would never give that up.

_Especially_ not for a heartbreaker like Derrington.

But then what was I feeling for him?

Was this what I told James it was?

A brotherly love that came from being so alike?

Or was James right and it was something more?

No, it couldn't be…

"Come on, Block, let's go grab some sushi. I'm starving."

"Let me guess, I'm paying?" I laughed as I raised my eyebrows.

"See, you know me so well!" Derrington let out a wide smile.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Will Dylan leave or stay?<strong>_

_**And is Alicia growing soft?**_

_**By the way, I started posting some of the outfits on Polyvore under HAWTgeek12345. So please check it out.**_


	22. Alpha Loyalty Leads to Beta Betrayal

_**Alicia,**_

I took a sip of my white mocha skinny latte and kept looking out of the window of the starbucks to the mall.

It busy, not extremely busy but busy.

And I took pride that it was mainly busy because everyone was out shopping for the latest trend I started, the military look. But of course I cringed when I saw girls coming out of the salon with purple streaks, something that Massie did with all of her friends.

But why would I have to look at the girls following our trends when I could just look at us.

If it had been anyone else, I would have laughed at what she was wearing, calling it the _Primary Outfit._

But this was Massie Block.

And, if anyone could get away with wearing that, it would be her.

Massie's royal blue dress had a cut-out back, though it was hidden by her red blazer. She added to her five-ten height with a pair of yellow vintage two inch heels, and she proudly carried the matching yellow bag. With one hand, she twirled her diamond cross necklace, making her red heart charm bracelet jingle, and she adjusted her vintage sunglasses.

Behind her, Derrington was struggling to carry all of the bags from what looked like a Massie-Gone-Wild Shopping Spree.

Was it wrong that I began to compare them to the way he had been when we were together?

Derrington had been less than willing to carry my bags when I went shopping, and, though I had convinced him to later, he had complained about it for the next week. And this was when he swore he loved me…

But, with Massie, he seemed perfectly fine to carry her bags and follow her around like a puppy dog.

I couldn't decide who I hated more right now, Massie or Derrington.

But I chose Massie because I could identify the feeling I felt for her right now.

Derrington?

It was a combination of loathing and love.

But, right now, it leaned on the loathe side.

I brought out my cell phone, and I was about to send a quick text to cancle why I was here ,which I could barely remember.

But then the devil walked in…

CeCe was off of her beanie time, and she was finally allowed to be around the itGirls. But that didn't mean that I wasn't still mad, and CeCe was desperate to gain my trust again.

And I had to admit that I was a having a little fun torturing her like this.

But I hated that it didn't have the same satisfaction as it used to. It was like I had gone soft again, and I was afraid that becoming a beta wouldn't be far along.

What if CeCe did continue to defy my authority? What if I one day became _her_ Beta?

I cringed at the thought.

"Alicia," CeCe let out a wave, though we could all see her.

After the beanie incident, she tried to get a new look.

Everyone followed it of course, but it gave me a headache everytime she walked into the room.

Yesterday, she had gone to the mall and picked up almost everything with a reflective surface until she looked like a disco ball every time someone turned the lights on.

Today, she was wearing a black tank top with a gold blazer with _CeCe_ written in silver on her left pocket. She was wearing a super-short sequin mini skirt that showed off the model-like legs that she had inherited from her mother. Her golden blonde hair was pulled into a side bun, and she slowly due to her golden platform heels.

I gave my Beta a once over.

I had to admit that I still thought Bay was prettier than her twin sister, especially now.

Sometimes I missed Bay.

Well, a lot of times these days.

"You're here," I pushed my hair out of my eyes and motioned for CeCe to sit with me, and she smiled as she took a sip of the iced coffee I bought for her.

She smiled as she applied her red lipstick again, and she pursed her lips to get ready for a big announcement.

"I've got gossip!" she smiled as she held up a hot pink folder.

"Let me see," I held out my hand, not trusting her after what happened with Claire.

I gasped as I looked through the pictures of Massie and Derrick.

They weren't dirty pictures or anything.

These were pictures of a couple…

I would have been happy if they just had an affair going…

"No."

"What?" CeCe's face fell.

"You're not releasing these."

"Why not?" CeCe crossed her arms.

"We're just not."

Maybe it was to protect James from feeling how I felt.

Maybe I didn't want my humiliation shown to everyone.

Or maybe I really had gone soft.

But I didn't want this to come out.

"But we're behind! And this could give us the edge! No, it would make us _win!_" CeCe whisper-yelled.

"Cecelia Peterson, I am your alpha. Now, don't release the picture, you understand?"

"But-"

"I said, _don't. Do. It."_

"We'll lose if we don't!"

"Goodbye, CeCe. I've got to get to practice," I pulled my purse up on my shoulder, and CeCe stared at me like a pleading kid asking their mom to buy them candy at the check-out line.

_**Dylan,**_

The sun was high in the sky, reflecting off the water like a mirror.

_Buzzzz__._

My phone kept ringing and ringing, but I didn't make an effort to go and get it. Whoever it was, it didn't matter. I didn't want to talk to them. I only wanted to talk to one person, and he was here with me.

Josh had thought it was strange when I told him that I wanted to spend a few days with him on the boat, but he still got his stuff packed and drove us up to the dock. I told Drew I was leaving for a few days, and I sent a text to Massie that I was going away for the weekend with Josh.

But I hadn't told anyone else, and they had all been calling to see what the hell I was doing.

Josh had respected my privacy and not asked what was wrong with me, but I told him the first night we were on the boat.

We had talked about it for a little while before we both fell asleep, but we had avoided the subject all morning.

It had to come up sometime though…

"What should I do, Josh?" I asked as I curled up closer to him, and I looked up to him.

He was deep in thought, still thinking about it.

He had just accepted an offer to go to college in New York, and he had James had agreed to become roommates after my mom refused to let me get an apartment with him during the school year, no matter how much I reminded my mom that Massie's parents let her.

And this job was in LA for four months and then Europe for four months.

Then there would be promotions.

Premieres. Parties I had to be at in LA. All of that…

And I would have to leave in a few days…

"You should do it, Dyl. It's what you've always wanted, right? I don't want to be that guy that kept his girlfriend from her dream," Josh pushed my carnation red hair behind my ear.

I knew he was right.

I should do. I wanted to go, right?

This was what I had been dreaming about for years now, and the offer was right there.

So what if I had to miss some of my summer? My friends would understand. And I had my mom's private jet at my disposal to take me from LA to NYC to see Josh.

Maybe it wasn't our plan, but it could work.

But it just didn't feel right…

"You're right," I stared back up at the perfect beach day.

"You don't seem excited," Josh tried to smile, but it still came off sad.

"I am. This is the offer I always wanted…" I hesitated, "But I'm-well, I'm thinking of turning it down."

"Turning it down?"

"Yeah, sticking to the plan. Going to NYU. Work in some movies over the summer. Get a TV show after I graduate," I looked back to Josh, "What do you think?"

Josh let out a small smile and kissed my nose.

"Well, I want you here with me. But this isn't my career. We can work things out if you decide to go to LA, and we can work things out here. It's whatever you want to do, Red," Josh smiled, and I felt a smile grow.

"We should probably get home, huh?"

"Sure," Josh smiled, pulling me up gently, "There is one thing we have to do while we're out here."

"No way," I crossed my arms.

"Yes way."

"I'm not going in," I shook my head and crossed my arms.

Josh raised his eyebrows.

"Fine," I moaned, letting a weak smile play across my lips, and I wriggled out of my bright red dress, not wanting to have to take the time to find and change into my bikini. I needed to get home soon.

I unlatched the fence that usually let us get off the boat when we docked, and I looked back to Josh.

"Coming, Chicken?"

Josh rolled his eyes and pulled off his shirt as I dived in to the perfect Atlantic Ocean.

_**Claire,**_

I stared at my beeping Sidekick, and I looked at the contact on the screen.

Cam.

Three texts, I think.

Maybe more.

I stared at the cute tank top and blue mini skirt that I had planned on wearing to sushi with Cam, but I kept thinking of him with CeCe. He was still talking to her…

Actually, he was meeting her…

And from what I saw on the text that had popped up, they were meeting today actually.

I had agreed to go to Sushi with him before the moment when I found out that he was still hanging around CeCe, and I hadn't even thought to cancel before I looked at my sidekick and pretended I got an urgent text from Massie so I could leave.

I still wanted to see him, which was even worse.

But I knew Cam. If he had stayed with CeCe for that long, I had no doubt that he would go back to her.

And I didn't want to get stuck being in love with him while he basically worships CeCe.

I hesitantly picked up my sidekick, and my fingers lingered on the keys before typing away.

_Sorry. Family thing. Can't make it._

I pressed send and got up from sitting on my bed.

I slowly made my way downstairs, and I searched through the refrigerator until popping the top to a can of grape Fanta and opening a bag of chips.

Turning the TV to cartoons, I reclined into the couch and relaxed.

"Claire?"

I jumped and looked to my little brother.

"What are you doing home? I heard from the guys that you had a date with Cam," Todd nudged me, and I couldn't decide if I should blush or get angry.

"It wasn't a date, and, anyway, I canceled."

"Why on earth did you cancel on _Cam Fisher_?" Todd spoke as if that was an impossibility.

Just like when we started dating, he had been convinced that Cam had a mental problem or something to date me when he was _the_ Cam Fisher.

"I didn't cancel on _Cam Fisher_. I canceled on Cam, just Cam. Stop acting like he's some god or something," I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my drink.

"Whatever…"

"So, why aren't you with Blaire? I thought you guys were going to the beach or something."

"Nah, Blaire is at a spa weekend with her friends."

Her friends.

Her clique.

Erin. Mila (Emilia). Rose. And Nola.

They were the next generation PC, known as _The Girls_ at PCMS. Since they were younger, Alicia never bothered with Blaire, and I was happy for her in that way. She was luckier than me…

I nodded to my brother, and Todd looked to me for a long second.

"So, did you really cheat on Erik?"

I stared at Todd in shock.

"Yeah, I mean, it wasn't an affair or anything. It was just… a mistake," I shook my head.

"Mom always says that there are no mistakes, just moments leading you to your destiny."

"Apparently, Mom never got drunk."

Todd began to laugh, and he nudged me.

"So, you were drunk?"

"Worst part, I wasn't. I was completely sober, and I did this…"

"What is this?"

"Cam and I… do you remember when I used to sleep over at Layne's almost all summer when we were sixteen?"

"Yeah…" he hesitantly looked over to me.

"I wasn't exactly sleeping over at _Layne's_."

"You were at… Cam's…." Todd swallowed, processing what he knew but didn't _want_ to know.

"Well, we kind of…"

Why is it so hard to tell your little brother that you hooked up with his idol?

"Please don't keep going, Claire. _Please_," Todd held up his hand, and I nodded.

After a while, Todd spoke again.

"I hooked up with Anna."

I stared at him.

"What?"

"Remember when Blaire broke up with me last summer for a little while? Well, Anna comforted me because Victor had just dumped her. And, well, we… we kind of… anyway, I told Blaire, and we laugh about it. But I never told you. And, since you told me about Cam…"

"Anna?"

"I know its against the sibling code, but-"

"You seriously couldn't find someone better than Anna?"

Cam looked up at me and began to laugh.

"You're such a dork."

"And you're a dweeb."

"You know, I'm going to miss you when you leave. I mean, Florida is so far away."

"Todd, I don't know if I'm going to Florida."

"What? I thought that was the school you always wanted to get into."

"I have two more weeks to make a decision, and there is another school I like."

"Did you tell Dad?"

I shook my head.

"I will when I make my choice. But please don't tell him."

"Claire-"

"Please."

"Okay."

_**Kristen,**_

I pressed the doorbell, preparing myself to do it.

I had finally worked up the nerve to tell Dempsey about how I had been completely in love with him all summer, and I had rushed over here in case I chickened out again.

The fear of what I was about to do hit me like a freight train, and I began to shake.

I looked back to my big SUV in the drive way, and I focused on how different my jeep seemed to be from the black Prius in front of it to keep myself from running back to my car and driving away.

_I can do this, I can do this…_

I adjusted my fedora, trying not to mess up my side braid, and I pulled up my thigh-high tights. I shifted my vintage floral skirt, and I made sure that my preppy blue top wouldn't ride up again. Quickly making sure that you could see my bracelets for some charity, I bit my lower lip.

My stomach felt like it was going to fall to my feet as I heard someone near the door.

I began to rehearse what I wanted to tell him, and I was about to start with it when the door opened.

"Kristen," Mrs. Solomon smiled.

Mrs. Solomon was beautiful, with long brown hair and bright brown eyes.

I had never known her first name, but she was a sweet heart.

Well, she had to be to handle raising a teenage boy and twin four year olds.

"Oh, Mrs. Solomon. I just came here to see Dempsey," I felt all of my resolve to end this game of pretending that we were just friends.

"Dempsey is going to go see my parents," Mrs. Solomon smiled as she ran a hand through her wavy brown hair that was gently beginning to gray, "You just missed him. He should be back tomorrow morning."

Mrs. Solomon only liked natural things.

She dyed her hair occasionally and only with natural dyes. She ate only organic, and most of her clothing were made by companies that donated the money to charities. And she ordered make-up made mostly from beeswax and goes without animal testing.

"Oh, uh, can you just tell him I stopped by then?" I nervously twisted my bracelets.

"Of course, Kristen," Mrs. Solomon smiled.

"Kwisten?"

I looked past Mrs. Solomon to see Theo running towards me.

"Hey, Cutie," I looked down at him, but he pulled on my arm. I followed after him in shock, and he quickly pulled me out to the back yard.

"I want to show you something! I learned how to hit the ball with my head!" Theo smiled, and Tommy smiled wide at me.

"Hey, Kwisten!"

"Hey, Tommy," I smiled weakly as Theo sat me down on the recycled patio furniture, and Mrs. Solomon sat down beside me, offering me a slice of whole wheat toast and Nutella.

As Tommy and Theo began to show off for me, I smiled at them, and Mrs. Solomon smiled at me.

"You look amazing, Kristen. It's been so long since I've seen you," Mrs. Solomon smiled, "What have you been doing?"

"Soccer basically. In Florida at the training sight there," I shrugged.

"Florida," Mrs. Solomon bit into her toast, "Dempsey was so distraught when you left. He just wasn't the same… He tried everything to get over you, you know. He dated other girls. He focused on soccer. He did a lot of charity. But he just couldn't do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he missed you all the time. He went to Florida last year to find you, but you were with some guy. And Dempsey realized how crazy it all was and came home. He was so happy when you came home…" Mrs. Solomon waved to her boys as Tommy and Theo smiled to get our attention, and she looked back to me, "I'm sorry. Don't take this as me trying to guilt you or anything. I really hope that you will be happy with Griffon-"

"Griffon?"

"Yes, your boyfriend. Or is he your boyfriend yet?"

"No, no, he's not my boyfriend. Or my crush. Why would you think that we would be together?"

"Because you two are always together," Mrs. Solomon looked at me with knit eyebrows.

"He's in love with my best friend, Bay. I-I've been trying to set them up all summer."

"But I see the way Dempsey acts when you two are together. I just assumed that you were with Griffon. So you're not? Who are you with?"

"No one. Is that what Dempsey thinks?"

"Yes," Mrs. Solomon nodded.

Oh Gawd...

He really was jealous!

And I-I thought it was cute!

I had no clue that Griffon was the reason I wasn't already with Dempsey.

"When will Dempsey be home again?" I asked as I stood up.

"Tomorrow morning. Ten, by the latest."

"I've got to go. But I'll see you tomorrow," I quickly told her before running off to the car.

_**No One's POV,**_

CeCe looked at herself in the mirror.

She hated how easy it was to make herself look normal.

But she had to do it…

She had taken out her extensions and pulled her hair into a ponytail, and she had stopped by Abercrombie to buy some normal looking clothes. CeCe had bought the blandest things she could bear wearing, and she had cringed when she first saw herself in the orange tank top and black shorts, calling this the _Trick or Treat_ mission.

CeCe hated this.

Though she had tried, Cam seemed to have grown up since they had started dating. She couldn't just bat her eyelashes and give him a kiss to get what she wanted. And he had turned her down when she begged for his forgiveness.

She knew it was because of that _girl_.

Gummy-Claire?

Puh-lease.

Maybe she had gotten a Massie-Makeover, but she might as well have had LBR monogrammed into her Keds in CeCe's opinion.

CeCe refused to be beaten, especially by someone like _Cuh-Laire!_

She had been planning this for years.

CeCe had come a long way from that little kid in the lunch room staring enviously at Massie.

Massie was CeCe's idol, and, when the beautiful brunette first walked into OCD, CeCe swore that she would one day be Massie.

And, when Massie left America, CeCe began her plan. She begged her mom to get her a nose job, and she hired a personal trainer. By the end of the summer, she was ready to become Alpha, but Alicia had already claimed the spot. So, CeCe settled for second best.

Over the four years of the itGirls reign, CeCe plotted.

And, when _the_ Cam Fisher became single, CeCe jumped at it, even if she did miss screwing around.

This was supposed to be the summer when everything finally came true.

But then Massie had to come back…

CeCe nervously tapped on the bench at the mall fountain, which was full of people.

But none of them noticed CeCe, just how she wanted it.

But they_ did_ notice Jamie.

She was hard to miss…

Jamie was the definition of wanna-be.

She tried to follow every trend.

So, she had dyed her hair CeCe-blonde, and she had Layne-style pink streaks. She had a Bay-side-braid, and she had natural make-up like Claire but bright lipstick like Olivia. She was wearing the military jacket like Alicia and a colorful high-waisted mini skirt like Olivia. And she had bought the yellow heels that Massie had worn in her infamous _'__Primary Outfit'_.

CeCe tried not to wrinkle her nose in disgust as Jamie got closer, and the wanna-be hurried towards CeCe.

When Jamie Dean got a phone call from _the_ Cecilia Peterson, Jamie dropped every other story she had been researching for Alyssa.

Sure, being the personal assistant to the Gossip Girl was awesome in its own right, but Jamie was just reporting on the cool kid's exploits. CeCe actually got to _live_ it. Jamie had been doing CeCe's dirty work for a while now, trying to find something that would make CeCe happy.

Maybe evedn happy enough to become friends with her…

Jamie could almost see their friendship.

Going to the city for shopping. Flirting with all of the popular boys. Being the two coolest girls in Westchester.

CeCe had first started talking to Jamie so that she could keep her own little secret, but then CeCe realized that Jamie could give her tips on everyone else's secrets.

And she liked the feeling of knowing everything about everyone.

It made her feel like Alpha, a feeling she desperately wanted.

"Hey, CeCe," Jamie smiled as she sat on the bench beside CeCe, and CeCe resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Shh," CeCe adjusted her cheap sunglasses that were ten dollar version of the two hundred dollar glasses she had at home.

CeCe suddenly felt like reclining into a spa with her daddy's credit card, getting pampered and planning her next shopping spree. But there was so much to do… especially after she finished this.

"So you called," Jamie nodded, tapping her shoe on the floor.

"Yeah," CeCe pursed her lips like she always did when she had gossip, "I have something for GG."

"Really?"

Jamie knew she was behind, and Allie was the new queen of gossip.

Though she loved her boss and basically worshipped the ground she walked on, Jamie also knew that Allie could be a bitch.

When people started trying to please GG, Allie started going downhill. She got all the hottest clothes for free. She got the hottest dates, and someone even gave her a new convertible. Allie was so in love with it that she threatened to skip out of school and move here this fall.

Jamie knew that, if Allie decided she was done with her, Allie would _sBend_ Jamie right back to wearing flare jeans and checking Gossip Girl like a crazy person.

"Leak it soon," CeCe handed over the packet, "_Before_ Alicia's audition."

"What kind of story do you want me to make up? For who leaked it?"

"Don't take the time for that. Alicia is about to finally untangle her fake eyelashes and see what the hell is going on."

"Anything else you want out there?" Jamie raised her eyebrows, and CeCe smiled as she shook her head.

"I want that to be a completely different blow. Let's see how the _Hottie With a Dancer's Body_ can take this."

"Yes, Mam," Jamie smiled as she stood up, "Anything else?"

"Actually, snap some pictures of me with Skye at Body Alive, she should be over there when I go shopping. Put it out there before the story breaks. Give me some points," CeCe stood, letting her hair out of her ponytail, "Not _Fanish_."

"Will do. You will make a much better Alpha than her."

"You know, I'm still looking for a Beta. And you look like you could do the job well."

Jamie smiled wide.

CeCe blew a kiss and started strutting to the exit of the mall.

"Puh-lease. What _LBR's_? A new alpha is in town," CeCe smiled as she flipped her hair and clicked the button to unlock her BMW convertible.

_**Massie's Outfit and Kristen's Outfit are on Polyvore under HAWTgeek12345**_


	23. You Can't Spell Us Without 'U'

_**Massie,**_

As I opened the front door, I pulled my Gucci bag up on my shoulder, and I checked my phone again to see if I was late.

James and I had set a date to go get Indian food for lunch today, something we used to all the time in London. It was our Thursday thing. We would get in James's vintage convertible and go to a random restaurant in London during our lunch break, usually Thai or Indian. Sometimes, we would call in with different excuses (I claimed bad sushi, and he claimed that he had to do something for rugby) and skip out the rest of the day.

London with James was wonderful.

It was something that belonged in one of those romance novels my mom secretly read.

We were that annoying couple that everyone was jealous of.

James knew what I was thinking, and I could finish his sentences easily. We were the kind of couple that used to stop and buy flowers at the cute little carts. We would walk and talk by the Thames for hours. We would go to museums and tourist attractions and laugh at ourselves. We would curl up and watch the sunset on the Eye. And we would spend hours reading in the garden.

James was the guy that every girl dreams of as a kid.

And I was the lucky one who got him.

I would _never_ let that go…

Even if I did feel something for Derrington.

I just wished I could realize what that something was…

"James? I'm sorry if I'm late. Everyone was at the mall today, and the traffic was horrible. By the way, did I do something? Because everyone kept pointing and staring at me today," I asked as I slid out of my red trench coat.

I kept waiting to hear his response as I put my jacket in the closet and adjusted my English Flag dress.

But nothing.

Usually, he would be laughing at me by now.

"James?" I asked as I pushed my hair behind my ear, and I looked around for my boyfriend of four years.

I walked into the kitchen and dropped my Gucci in shock.

"Wah-what's going on here?" I stared at James, and he didn't meet my eyes.

I looked around the kitchen.

His cell phone charger wasn't plugged into the wall for when he came with a basically dead phone after using it all day. He didn't have the picture of him and Robin as kids on the coffee table. His laptop wasn't on the desk in the corner. And his stack of medical books weren't in the bookshelf designated for James.

All of his necessities… they were just…

_Gone_.

And, in their place, there was a medium-size duffle.

"You're parents aren't coming until Wednesday. W-why have you packed already? And, if you are packing, why is your stuff here? Why not in the g-guest room? And-and where is the other stuff? Why would you move it?" I felt like I was about to puke.

I knew what was going on, I really did.

But… I didn't want to.

"These just came in about an hour ago. I got back early from class, and I found this had been left at the desk for us," James's square jaw tightened.

He held up a package, and I kept staring.

"And, once I got over the shock of these," he threw the package down on the countertop and a few of the pictures spilled out, "I see they're on the freakin' internet, Massie!"

"What are you talking about?"

"God, Massie! Can't you just admit it?!"

"Admit what?!"

"You and Derrick! I know, okay? Everyone knows!"

"Knows what? Derrick and I are friends! He's like my little brother! I'm just trying to help him! He's a freaking mess, alright? We're old friends. I-I just wanted to help him, alright?" my eyes began to water, and James rolled his eyes.

"Helping him, I'm sure!" he picked up his bags and the packet of pictures.

"James, no! D-don't go! _Please_!" I began to cry, pulling on his arm as you came close to me, "Nothing is going on, I promise. I swear! Please, just don't go, James."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't have feelings for him, Massie," his eyes were watering, too.

I looked him in his perfect blue eyes, and I opened my mouth to tell him that I didn't feel anything, to make him stay with me. All I wanted was for him to stay, I swear. I loved him, and I-I couldn't bear it if he left me.

But I faltered.

I had never lied to James. And I couldn't start now, though I really wanted to.

James knew what that meant, he knew me. He loved that about me.

Or did he anymore?

He was leaving, so maybe he didn't love me. Maybe this was just the excuse he was using to leave me.

We had been through a lot of jealousy. Guys tried to steal me from James, and girls tried to steal James from me.

Actually, even some _guys_ tried to steal James…

Nothing had changed from then.

I was still in love with him and hadn't done anything with this other guy, and James suddenly freaked out about this…

Was this his way of being nice about leaving me? I mean, I was crazy, I was bossy, and I was definitely proud. And maybe he stopped loving it like he said he did. Maybe he wanted to start over, find someone as wonderful as him in New York.

And maybe he would take her home to the cabin. And maybe his mom would make her lemon bars every time she showed up. Maybe he would give her his grandmother's vintage diamond, and she would become the next Winston…

I felt sick at the thought of him with another girl.

No, I felt sick at the thought of being without him…

"I don't know you anymore," his eyes watered, and I cried harder.

"You _do_ know me. I'm Massie. Your little Queen Bee."

I knew he wanted to say more, probably about how I had been ashamed to tell him how horrible I was.

But I was scared he would leave me if I didn't tell him.

And now he was leaving because I didn't.

"Goodbye, Massie," he turned away from me, and James slammed the door behind him.

My stomach lurched. I ran to the door, and I was just getting to the elevator when the door closed.

"No, no, no!" I shrank to the soft carpet, and I cried into my hands, "He-he actually left…"

I never thought it would come to this.

Derrington was a harmless crush!

James was the man I loved…

The photos…

I wanted to know what happened.

I scrambled to get up, and I almost fell down in my heels. So I kicked off the black strappy platform sandals, and I hurried off to the apartment again, where I didn't even take the time to close the door before picking up the picture.

I gasped for air.

The picture was from the day I brought Derrington out of his shell after what happened with him and Alicia. He had his arm wrapped around me, and he had pulled me close to whisper something, though I couldn't remember what. And he kissed the top of my head.

I do remember getting fuzzy…

This was taken out of context.

What else did they have?

God, we've done nothing!

I wanted to get angry and march into Alyssa's apartment and find out who the hell was lying about me, but I couldn't.

I just hugged my knees and began to bawl.

_**Claire,**_

"Guys, can I talk to you?" I asked nervously as my father took the last bite of the lunch my mother made.

He usually came home for lunch, but this was one of the first times I had been here around lunch…

My mother stared at me, and I knew she was worried about what I would say.

After finding out about Cam, it was like my parents suddenly realized I was eighteen, not _eight_. Suddenly, I wasn't that little kid playing scrabble or the thirteen year old on her Motorola talking about the episode of Gossip Girl that was on.

I was all grown up…

I was happy about the fact that they finally saw it, but I wished they didn't find out like _that._

"Of course, Claire."

My father looked the most nervous, which was understandable I guess.

I looked to my little brother, and he quickly stood.

"I better go if I'm going to make it to the field before they start playing without me," my brother ruffled his dark hair, and he let out a weak smile to me before leaving, wishing me good luck.

I would need it.

"So, what is it, Baby?" my mom asked as she took her seat beside my father, and I took a chair across from them.

"Well, I've been thinking about college…"

"You need to send in your acceptance soon, Claire. They won't wait for you forever. But I am so proud of you. I know how hard it is to get into that school."

I remembered how many times he had told me about missing parties to get into that school but that it was worth it.

For as long as I could remember, I knew I was supposed to go there…

So was Todd…

When he chose lacrosse instead of football though, the expectations for him to go there lessened, but I was still supposed to go, even if it wasn't what I wanted.

"Actually, I'm not going to," my voice was small as I looked down to my new light blue manicure.

"What?"

"I got other acceptances, you know."

"But this is _Florida_!"

"Your old friends are going."

My nose crinkled.

_Them…_

"And you've always wanted to you, Baby."

"Well, there is this school. In New York. It's not that far away but not too close or anything. And it has amazing academics. And their education programs are some of the finest in the country…"

"Education?" my mother knit her eyebrows in confusion.

"But you were going to be a nurse!"

"Claire, being a teacher is a hard job. And the pay is horrible!"

"And no one can find a teaching job right now!"

"You have your entire life ahead of you. We won't let you ruin it, Claire."

"Think about your future!"

"You are going to Florida."

"Claire-"

"No, stop!"

My parent's eyes widened as I stood.

"I'm grown up! Stop treating me like I am a baby who has to be watched all the time!" I felt myself get hysterical.

"Claire, you're not thinking!" my father stood to meet my eyes, "I will not support you on this."

"Claire, what will you do for money then? And clothes? And food? And even the tuition?" my mother tried.

"I am eighteen! A _legal adult_. I'm not four, okay? I can make a decision without you. And I have. They offered me a partial scholarship, and, if I have to, I will take out a student loan and get a job to go there."

"Well, you may be eighteen, but you're acting like a four year old," my father narrowed his eyes, "First Cam and now this-"

"Cam? Is this really about Cam?"

"How could you make a mistake like that, Claire?" my mother shook her head, "You lost your flower! Your innocence!"

"Yeah, two years ago!"

I regretted it as soon as I said it.

"What?" my father's face paled.

"That happened _two years_ ago," I repeated, my voice small, "And Cam hasn't been the only one either. Erik, too."

My mom's eyes widened, and my dad's jaw dropped.

"I'm sorry I told you like that, but you needed to know. I'm not a little girl anymore. And people just make mistakes. You do, too. Everyone does. But choosing this is not a mistake. Forgetting my dreams and going to Florida would be."

"We love you, Claire," my mom wrapped me up in a hug, and my father joined in, too.

"And we support you."

"I love you guys, too," I hugged my parents back.

Well at least Cam did one good thing for me…

He let my parents see that I wasn't their baby anymore.

_**Dylan,**_

I stared at the contract, and Georgia was busy on the phone with Allie A. Abbott's agent, trying to work out a time when we could meet but was having trouble because Allie had gone MIA on relaxing time with her buddies.

I wished Josh was here.

But I knew he wouldn't have been able to handle watching me sign the papers that would take me to LA for the next year, so I didn't ask him to come.

With the contract, I had been mailed a script of the first episode for Bre.

Allie's character, Sara, didn't like Bre too much. She was still missing her old roommate, Julia, who didn't survive the crash that Sara and Julia were in at the end of the last season. But they became friends they realized that they both had the same passion for modeling.

It was a great role, a little sweeter than I was used to, but I knew I could pull it off.

And to work with Allie A. Abbott?

That would be ah-mah-zing!

My agent, Lucia, had tried to get me on the show before, playing Sara's evil sister who tried to steal her boyfriend, Gabriel (before he came out of the closet and started dating Jonas), but the offer didn't work out. So, when Lucia found out that I had a chance to play one of the new stars, she had immediately called for a contract.

"Are you alright, Dyl Pickles?"

I looked up to my mom, who was putting on lipstick for the cameras that would pick up me signing the contract.

"Do you think this is right?"

"What do you mean, Darling?"

"Taking the job?"

"Isn't this what you want, Dylan?"

It was.

This was the dream offer that I had always wanted.

But it just felt wrong.

Maybe it was just having to move to LA, but I didn't like it…

"I just feel weird about it. Like something is up…"

"Did I ever tell you about when I started my career?"

She didn't need to tell me.

I had been there.

I had seen as her job began to ruin everything. From my parents getting divorced to becoming the daughter of a super-star, I had been along for the journey with her.

"Well, I got this offer. A night time co-host thing. It would be a total leap for me! And I knew that I should take it," my mom smiled, "But something didn't feel right. So I stayed on the radio. Then I got the offer for my own show! And two weeks later, the late-night show got canceled!"

"So the lesson is don't take night-time TV?"

"No, the lesson is to trust your instincts," my mom smiled as she touched the middle of my chest, which I guessed she meant as follow your heart.

But my heart was nowhere near there…

"Trust my instincts," I let the words run over my tongue, and I kept thinking about it as Georgia put her blackberry in her purse and sat beside me.

"Okay, let's get this thing runnin'! I have to be somewhere in half an hour."

"No," my voice was small, barely audible.

"What?" Brenda stared at me, and I felt my resolve grow.

"No, thank you for the offer, but no. Give it to Alexis. She'll be thrilled. And she can do a much better Texas accent than I can. Give the job to her."

Georgia's jaw dropped, and I picked up my small purse from the table.

"If _TMZ _is right, Alexis will be just getting to New York after a vacation in Bermuda. You should probably be able to catch her," I stood, and everyone watched me.

Even my mother was shocked, though she had just given me the confidence to turn down the offer.

"Now, I have to get to Josh before he and his buddies go on a fishing trip to get his mind off of this. Good luck with the show. Sorry I couldn't join the team," I hurried out of the room before Georgia could say anything, and I felt something sweet consume me as I quickly got into my Range Rover.

Eh.

Ma.

_Gawd._

I did it.

I seriously did it.

I might regret it later, but I just let the relief fuel me as I scrambled for my cell phone and turned on the car to go to Josh's place.

I pressed the speak button, and I quickly said the name I wanted to talk to, even if she had warned us all not to call unless there was an emergency.

"Call Massie."

_**Kristen,**_

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

My cousin stared at my outfit.

It wasn't like I was badly dressed.

Maybe I didn't look like I did yesterday, but I definitely didn't look bad.

I was a little more… _Kristen_.

Not the urban-sporty look that I been doing.

But Kristen.

I was Dempsey-Kristen.

I was the girl I knew he loved.

The one he went looking for…

I was showing off my toned legs in high-waisted Aztec shorts, and my tucked in tee shirt didn't show off the curves I had worked hard to get but did compliment my B-Cup chest. I had ditched my extensions and flat ironed my hair so that it went to my shoulder, with a small braid pulling it out of my eyes. And I had worn my lucky hot pink Nikes for courage.

He should be getting back from visiting his grandparents today, and I couldn't wait to see him and tell him how I felt.

Maybe I couldn't decide between college or soccer, but I could make a decision on Dempsey.

"You're going to tell a boy you love him in _that_?"

"He likes this," I rolled my eyes as I picked up my keys and started towards my jeep in the garage.

I knew my way almost by heart to the earth-friendly mansion that the Solomon's called home, and I tried to distract myself with the latest dance song on the radio.

But I couldn't help but worry.

What if Dempsey's mom had been wrong?

What if he had moved on after thinking I was with Griffon?

What if he found someone new?

I mean, that soccer girl that I tried to set Derrington up with was pretty. And she didn't have this big soccer vs. school problem. And she didn't have Griffon to come in and mess everything up, too.

Or what about that girl who flirted with him when we stopped for coffee?

"Stop it, Kristen, you're scaring yourself," I told myself as I took a turn, but I couldn't help it.

Maybe Dempsey had been protecting himself, but maybe his mom was wrong. I mean, my mom was wrong about a lot of things with me…

I longed for my Alpha's support, but she had sent out an email to the Click that this was her James time.

And I had strict orders that there better be someone holding a gun to my head for me to ruin that.

I tried to remind myself that I had done things without Massie for four years, but I hadn't gone up to my most infamous ex and told him that I still loved him. And Massie had braved the 'Best Friend' barrier to get her beau.

She could remind me that I had nothing to worry about since everyone knew that we were totally in love with each other.

I tried to remind myself that, but it didn't have the same effect…

I felt my heart skip a beat as I neared his house and had to stop at the stop sign.

Dempsey, still shirtless from going for a jog after getting in, held his little brother (Tommy, I think) on his hip, and he talked to his other little brother as they all went in.

I could do this. I could totally do this.

I was convinced that I could do it as I pulled my Jeep into the drive way and I picked up the soccer ball key chain from the mirror.

It was an old Soccer Sister's tradition for good luck. Well, it was _my_ tradition.

Heather would cross her fingers and recite the soccer sister creed before a game. Steph would rub her hands with lavender-scented hand sanitizer three times. And Veronica would do ten sit-ups.

I just held the key chain that my dad gave me on the day I got onto my first soccer team, and I closed my eyes for ten seconds while silently praying that things would go my way.

When I opened my eyes, I felt a confidence to tell him that I had never felt before, and a gentle smile formed on my lips as I turned the car off.

But then I heard my cell phone ring.

I fished through my bag and knit my eyebrows in confusion when I saw the contact.

Dylan had only told me about her offer to move to LA to work on CW'S teen drama about a modeling school, where Dylan would play the new sweetheart Bre. Today was her last day of the dead line.

Knowing that Dylan would be telling me that she had just accepted the offer and that she would ask for help on how to tell the others, I hesitantly picked up the phone and accepted the call.

When I got on the phone, my best friend was hysterical.

"I'm kind of busy right now, Dylan. Can I call you later?"

My face fell as Dylan explained why she was freaking out.

"He-he what? Is Massie okay?"

Dylan told me about everything that happened, and my jaw dropped.

"I'll be right there."

_Well, there is always tomorrow_, I thought as I looked back at the eco-friendly mansion.

_**Massie,**_

"And I thought I looked bad when I had the flu," I tried to laugh.

But I couldn't.

I had never felt like this.

I ached. I cried. And I felt like crawling into bed and dying.

Why had he left me?

It hurt too much to think of.

But who had released those stupid pictures?

Had Alicia really gotten that low?

I knew she was mad, and I knew that she was convinced that Derrington had told her goodbye because of me.

But she couldn't stand to even look at us. Could she really let everyone see those pictures?

That would be admitting that it was true, and this Alicia didn't do that. She couldn't even make a decision on being in love with a guy who loved her or a guy who was cheating on her…

Who would be heartless enough to do that to me?

And how would this benefit them?

Every girl was in love with Derrington, but his relationship with Maggie Beau was already coming to an end since Derrington wasn't invested and Maggie was.

Maybe it was because someone wanted James…

But it didn't feel like that.

It felt like someone was out to get me.

"But why did he leave?" I asked as I kept staring at my reflection.

Guys had tried to steal me before, but James just shrugged it off and makes jokes about how his little American Girl would never leave. And I wouldn't!

He knew that, he _did_.

Why was this Derrington thing different?

I knew he was jealous of Derrick, but I didn't do anything!

"Stop thinking about it, Massie," I told myself as I went to the bedroom and changed out of my dress and into my boy shorts and a tee shirt for KISS, my alma mater.

I put on a little make-up, if anything to make it where I didn't jump everytime I looked at myself in the mirror.

And I searched through my iPhone contacts to find the number for my favorite Chinese place.

I was about to order a feast to replace my want of James with a want for egg rolls when my doorbell rang.

_Probably Claire._

The Click had all come over to comfort me, and I guess it had worked.

I still felt horrible, but I was better than I was.

In the end though, I told them to make sure that this stayed out of GG.

Allie had already ruined my life, I didn't need her telling everyone about it.

I pulled my messy brown hair into a ponytail as I came to the door, and I gasped.

"Mass."

"Derrington."

He looked as perfect as always.

His golden hair had just been trimmed, and his skin was flawless and tanned from a day at the pool. His board shorts were checkered, and he had his raybands in his left pocket. His tee shirt was for some band and fit him well. And his brown eyes were worried.

"I just saw the pictures online. Are you okay? How did he take it?"

"He's not here. Does that answer anything?" I tried to laugh, but it came out empty and weak.

"I am so sorry, Block," he tried, but I cut him off.

"No, it wasn't you. We didn't _do_ anything. James just got jealous," I felt anger grow for the boy I had loved for the last four years.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm better," I admitted.

I wasn't good.

But I wasn't as bad as I was…

Derrington, still feeling a little guilty about everything, hugged me, and I hugged him back.

And then something weird came over me.

I pulled away a little bit, and I closed the distance again.

But, this time, my head wasn't on his shoulder.

My lips were on his.

Derrington didn't even take the time to be shocked, which didn't surprise me, and he started kissing me back.

Wow, he got…_better_.

He was a pretty good kisser when I lost my lip-kiss-virginity to him, but all of the practice had paid off for him.

His kiss was intoxicating, like a drug.

It was everything…. From the taste of spearmint on his breath to his soft lips. From the way he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to the way his skin felt, it was just amazing…

So amazing that I barely noticed when he started pulling me to the bedroom and closed the door with his foot.

Or maybe I did notice and didn't care.

It didn't matter.

As he put me down on the bed and I pulled his shirt off, he leaned down to kiss me again.

But this time it felt… wrong.

The drug-like intoxication was gone.

The heat felt more like a dangerous fire than a sweet glow.

And I suddenly wished that it was James holding me, not Derrington.

As Derrington's hands gently roamed to my waist, I couldn't do it. Before he could even get my KISS tee-shirt to my belly button, I pulled myself away.

"Stop."

"Thank God," Derrington took a breath of relieve.

I stared at him with shock.

"No, no, I mean, you're Massie Block," he looked at me, "I mean, a few months ago, I would have been all over you without another thought. It's just…"

I nodded.

"It didn't feel right," I agreed.

"I think I'm in love with Alicia. Maggie had to make the move on _me_. Well, I'm not in love with _this _Alicia. I'm in love with the old Alicia, and I know she is in there. I know I sound crazy and way too hopeful, but…" Dempsey sat down on the bed, and I sat up, sitting Indian-style on the bed.

"And I'm in love with James…" I pushed my hair behind my ear.

"Why did he leave?"

"He didn't say, but he implied that it was the pictures… but… I think it was that I didn't tell him."

"About the pictures?"

I shook my head.

"About all this. I didn't tell him… Well, I didn't tell him I was a bitch. I just didn't want him to know about all of that. He was so sweet, and I just didn't want to lose him. I-I thought that he might leave me if he saw how cruel I was…"

"And he left you anyway."

"Thanks, Derrick. I needed the last part."

Derrington apologized, and he had that thinking face for a minute or two.

"Why don't you show him?"

"What?" I stared at him.

"Show him who you _were_. And show him who you _are._"

"That… that actually makes _sense_."

"I'm not just all hotness," Derrington smiled proudly.

I got out of bed, and I hurried to my cell phone.

I quickly sent out a Click-wide text to find old pictures of me before I moved and memories and just about anything they had from them, and Derrington slid back into his shirt.

"Um, I'm going to go," he nervously ran his hand through his hair.

"Hey, do you have any pictures of us together?"

"Other than the new ones?"

"Yeah," I nodded quickly.

I desperately wanted him back, and I was determined to do it.

"I think so," he shrugged.

"Well, go get them. And pick up some pizza for the girls."

"Pizza?"

"Two peperoni. One deep dish beef. And one whole wheat cheese pizza. Thanks so much."

"Bu-"

"So much."

He rolled his eyes and left to go get the pizzas.

_I should have done this a long time ago,_ I told myself, _But at least this let me get over my crush on Derrington…_

And now I just my James back…

_**So some DerringtonxMassie.**_

_**What did you think?**_

_**I will see you soon in my next chapter!**_


	24. Cutting Through All the Bullshit

_**Massie**__**,**_

I wrapped my hands around the hot cup of tea, and I looked through the pizza boxes to see if we had any left from last night.

I hadn't gotten a chance to eat like everyone else last night.

In fact, I hadn't gotten to do anything.

I was so determined to do this that I couldn't think of anything else.

Not even food or showers.

So, when I had finally finished chronicling my life, I suddenly felt all of it.

My fatigue. My hunger. The burns from the hot glue gun. And the distinct smell of pizza, glue, and mixed perfumes from all of my friends that got on me when they hugged me.

I tried to sleep, but I couldn't.

So, I focused on the other stuff.

I took a long shower, scrubbing at my skin to get rid of burns with Warm Vanilla Sugar-scented body wash (from the gift box Quinn sent me). I started some tea, and I almost growled when I saw the post-it on the fridge that I had left yesterday to remind me to get food.

I had been so consumed with the break-up that food had been the last thing on my mind.

Now, it was almost all I could think of.

I happily ate the last piece of deep dish pizza, and I threw away the box as I went back into the bedroom.

My stomach lurched as I looked through the clothes in the closet.

_James clothes…_

My amber eyes watered as I ran my hand over the super soft rugby tee shirt that he had had gotten two years ago, and I closed my eyes and could see almost every moment that I wore his shirt. Or that I wriggled him out of it. Or how many times I fell asleep on his chest and used the soft shirt like a pillow.

This made me cry like he had just left me.

How could I have let this happen?

If anything, why did I even let him go out the door?

My British friends all thought this would be fine, that this was like one of our normal little spats. But I had only had the heart to tell Strawberry that he had left me. She freaked out, threatening to "bloody kill Doc!", and she asked me what happened when she calmed took a while for me to explain everything, and Sesame agreed to email me some things for my project as well.

But I wasn't as sure they were that he would forgive me.

All I wanted was my little British Beau back…

I slowly blinked my eyes open, and I pushed past his stuff to a hot pink sweater dress. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, and I stared at myself in the mirror as I put my wet brown hair into a bun.

I didn't feel like Massie.

I felt like… _old Massie._

Back when I didn't know what it was like to have a guy who loved me more than anything. When I didn't know what it was like to completely give your heart to a guy instead of kiss them to get more popular. When I still got a high from looking hot and not from the guy I looked hot for.

Landon had been as close as I had ever gotten to the way I felt with James.

But he wasn't anywhere near what I felt for James…

Tears threatened to fall from my amber eyes, and I tried to avoid that happening. But it was so hard.

I couldn't keep pretending to be strong.

I finally just succumbed into it.

I held his rugby tee shirt, and I began to cry into my sweater sleeve as I sat in the soft white chair in the corner. I just couldn't hold it in a second longer.

Why did he have to leave me? I loved him! No, I _love_ him! And he-he loves me! I-I should have told him.

My sobs were so loud that I didn't hear the door open or close behind itself.

I didn't hear the sound of James's favorite bright red converses (which I had tried to get rid of many times) on the hardwood floors. And I didn't hear the bedroom door open.

But, somehow I heard his gasp.

"Massie?"

He had never really seen me cry.

He had seen me cry, but not a real cry. Not when I when I was in complete desperation, with no way out.

And now he had.

I wished he hadn't though…

"You're-you're here," I stood quickly, dropping his rugby shirt to the chair, "I t-thought you weren't coming until Wednesday, when your parents got here."

"I just came to pick up some shirts," James eyes washed over the rugby shirt on the chair, and I picked it up.

"O-oh, sorry," I handed him the super-soft tee shirt.

He kept staring at me.

I understood why.

He had never seen me like this.

Weak. Crying. And desperate.

"What-what is this?" he looked to the pictures on the bed, and I pushed my hair behind my ear.

"You-you said you didn't know me. So, I just… I wanted to show you."

James hesitantly came to the bed, where he picked up a picture of me as a toddler wrapped up in my favorite hot pink blanket and smiling wide for the camera, and he let out a weak laugh as he looked through the pictures of me as a kid.

"These are the _Ahnnabees_. I was Beta," I pointed to the alpha, "And she was a complete bitch."

I pointed to the picture of me with the PC at the New Year Yves party.

"And this was when the PC formed."

I looked to the scrap book with _The Pretty Committee_ written in purple font.

"This was my first day at OCD," I pointed to a picture of me and the PC the day that winter break ended, "We ruled the school from then on."

And I told James everything, the truth about it all.

Everything I could- and others could- remember. From showing him pictures snapped of when I stalked Landon through Bark to what happened with Claire, I showed him everything about my life in Westchester. And I began to tear up as I showed him the picture of the New Year's Eve party when I announced that I was moving to the UK.

The final picture of the PC was of the four of us in the airport.

I had my hair fashioned in long curls with a black beanie, which was all the rage in the UK at the time. My black and white sweater fit me well and matched my black jeggings perfectly. My tote was full of the latest British magazines I could find, and my spiked loafers were both comfortable and adorable. And I proudly twirled my ruby set.

Dylan hid her tears by dabbing them with the shoulder of her bright green blazer, and she had her red hair pulled into a ponytail. Claire adjusted her valentino skirt that I had given her while packing, and her blue eyes were still red from crying. Kristen was making a joke about how she wished she could play soccer in her super-comfortable sandals, and she and Alicia were pretending to be happy as they compared their glatitor sandals.

Alicia had gone all out for my departure. Her long raven black hair was straight as a pin and cascaded gracefully down her back, showing her diamond hoop earrings. She had bought a new cuff bracelet with me the day before, and she was trying not to cry as she looked at it. Her leather sandals added a little height, so we were the same height. And her Indian-print dress fit her well.

This was the last real picture of the PC, and it almost hurt to see.

"And then, I met this guy on the plane, James. And he introduced me to his friends," I held up a picture our group, laughing in the KISS garden.

I felt my heart break as I picked up the last picture on the bed.

"And I fell in love with him, and I kissed on Christmas Eve thanks to Mistletoe. And I've been dating him for the last three years," I wiped away my tears, and looked back to him.

James was still staring at the Scrapbook of the PC.

"And I am still completely in love with him."

James's perfect blue eyes softened, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me as tight as possible.

"I never cheated on you," I sobbed into his chest, "I just had a crush on Derrington, I admit it. And I kissed him last night, but we both pulled away because it didn't feel right. I love you, James. I love you so much."

"I know, I just-I just got jealous. I mean, I was the perfect guy in your life, and then there was this guy who was great too. And you guys had history, and…" James trailed off, "When I saw those pictures, I-I just got scared. I just wanted my Massie back."

"I am your Massie."

"No, you're this New York-London Amazing Massie, and I don't care that you're not my UK-Massie. I love this Massie even more. I-I just thought that you might outgrow me as you became this amazing person, and-"

I cut him off by getting on my tippy toes and wrapping my arms around his neck, and my heart began to beat faster and faster as I neared his lips.

"Je t'aime, James," I whispered, and James's smile spread as he thought back to our time in Paris last summer.

"Amo te, Massie," James smiled, and I began to laugh as I thought back to our Latin class where James decide to use a new tactic of tutoring by kissing me every time I said something right.

We didn't even get through a practice conversation before pushed the books off the couch and focused on each other.

"Shut up and kiss me."

"My bossy queen bee."

I felt like I was melting as his lips touched mine, and I didn't object as he sat me down on the bed.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" James ran a hand through my wet hair.

"Does this mean you're moving back in?" I asked hopefully, and James nodded.

I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Then yes."

James smiled as he began to kiss my neck, and I wore a big smile as I kissed him back.

_**Alicia,**_

I danced my frustration out from everything.

Derrick.

Massie.

Brandon, who wouldn't accept my calls.

And the MIA Olivia.

I didn't even dare check Gossip Girl this morning.

I had spent the entire weekend in the dance studio, even sleeping in the loft space I had set up for sleepovers. The only electronic I used was my iPhone and Pandora, ignoring any alert or text message I got.

But, when I tried to get in touch with everyone for support, I got nothing.

Not even a good luck text from Brandon!

My anger was threatening to bubble over when I walked into my audition, but it was better that way. I was perfect, the textbook explanation of what I should be. Even my selected music was perfect, the swan lake.

As I walked out of the room, I could feel their admiration.

And I knew I had this thing in the bag.

I made a mental note to organize a spa weekend in celebration.

And all of the girls stared at me enviously as I walked out of the audition room, they had been able to see on the screens.

Finally, I was alpha again.

Move over Skye Hamilton, there's a new dancer on the stage!

I was trying to imagine would I would wear to my first dance class with her.

A usual leotard.

Or something spicy?

There were so many possibilities!

I was taking my raven black hair out of my bun as I went to take a seat, picking up a strawberry lemonade Gatorade as I went to my seat.

"Ray?"

A girl with short red hair quickly stood and scurried over to the door to begin her dance.

And then the door opened.

I began to choke on my drink.

"CeCe?"

She formed a triumphant grin as she continued her strut into the waiting room.

Her long blonde hair was formed into a braided side bun, and her lips were hot pink. She had an urban look for her make-up, like she was about to go out to a party. Her leotard was black with spaghetti straps, and she had a hot pink lace top over it. Her tights were torn and had been first used as her slutty tights when we went clubbing in New York.

She had a hot pink _Pink Lamb Studio_ tote, and she proudly showed it off.

Pink Lamb Studio.

Opened by Marry-Anne, an amazing dancer who ended her career and twenty-four when she got pregnant with business-man boyfriend's baby, Pink Lamb Studio had been rivaling _BADASS_ for the last two years.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

She was never able to do _anything_ on Tuesdays from four to five. And she never talked about her plans for this fall! She hadn't even told me about her salsa lessons, had she? She made a slip, and I asked about it. So she told me that she started talking Salsa lessons to keep in shape.

This was why she didn't talk about her plan!

This was her plan!

She was going to steal my spot.

"Excuse me, I'm Cecelia Peterson. I just wanted to drop off my music beforehand. Track two, Just Dance," CeCe smiled as she reached into her tote and brought out a Lady GaGa CD.

CeCe smiled as she turned back to me, and I stared at her.

"Hello, Duh-Licia."

"That's the best you got? Pah-thetic," I stood to look at her, and she kept smiling.

"But it _fits_. I've been doing this for almost a _year, _Alicia. And you were too busy being alpha that you didn't notice the obvious."

I felt my world crashing around me.

But I couldn't let her know that.

"This is an audition for one of the best dance institutes in the world, nawt going _dancing in the club_."

"Don't forget, I got in, too."

"Puh-lease, you probably just slept with someone to get here, knowing_ you_."

"Scared I'll take your spot?" CeCe sneered and I rolled my eyes.

"Grow up, Cecelia."

"Look who's talking."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You should have listened to Derick. Cut through all the bullshit," CeCe smirked, and I froze.

There was more…

It just really set in.

CeCe.

CeCe betrayed me.

Not just betrayal.

Beta Betrayal!

She had the best access to my life.

She could easily sneak to my mac while I was asleep during a sleepover. Or grab my cell phone. Or my schedule. Or even get into my iPad, where everyone's secrets were held because of the gossip points.

She knew my plans because was part of those plans!

CeCe knew when I would be out with Brandon and when she could get some points for herself. She knew when I would be at the mall and when I would be out for sushi. She even knew when I would be at practice!

CeCe was like a shadow you don't notice.

And she used that against me.

What else had she done?

The last four years were called into question.

But the past didn't matter.

The past was the past.

But she was threatening my future!

"Cecelia Peterson?" the woman called out, and Ray took a long gulp of her Gatorade after a long dance.

"Bye, Alicia," CeCe smiled as she went to the door, and she smiled as she turned back and brought out the latest iPad I bought for every member of the itGirls.

She smiled as she hurried back to me, handing me the iPad.

Bay had turned hers in.

And I hadn't even thought to demand hers.

"You might as well learn something, Duh-Licia," CeCe shoved the brand new device at me, and she threw the iPhone case with itGirls written in gold that I had given all of the girls when we started out Clique, "Look on the web browser."

It felt horrible to think that it was really over.

All of the memories. All of the outfits. All of the gossip. The parties. The boys. The hook-ups and the break-ups.

All gone and replaced with leotards and _Pink Lamb Studio_ bags.

CeCe shouldered her tote and started in to the audition room.

As the pounding began to go along with _Just Dance_, I watched her.

She was… unpredictable.

No structure. Just… dancing.

Where were the rules? The rigid perfection?

This was just so… ugh!

I looked down to the iPad, and I looked at the browser.

I gasped for air, and I felt my eyes water.

The pictures.

She released them.

_All of them_.

I felt my anger boil, and I looked through everything on the screen.

I was so consumed that I didn't notice that everyone had finished until Beatrice, the one who got me this auditon, clapped.

"The judges and I have thought about it long and hard, and we have come up with our two finalists," Beatrice looked to her clipboard, "Cecelia Peterson."

Even Beatrice was shocked.

My jaw dropped, and Cecelia smiled wide, smirking at me.

"And Alicia Rivera."

I was still too shocked to notice.

"Thank you all for coming. You were amazing but not right for the program," the second judge nodded.

"Have a safe ride home," the third judge rolled her blue eyes as she started to her BMW outside, and the second judge chased after her.

But Bea stayed behind, motioning for me to come talk to her while CeCe hurried out to go smooze the other judges.

I felt myself began to panic as Bea closed the door behind her.

"You knew!" I felt my heart beat speed up as I threw my duffle to the floor.

"She was a last minute entry. I didn't know it was her until today," Beatrice admitted.

She found me about two years ago when she was driving Skye Hamilton to see her parents in Westchester and I was dancing in the studio. She had stayed in touch, getting me this audition, and she had gotten me with the best teachers possible.

Beatrice had made it clear that she thought I could do this and that I should do this.

She knew I could be the next Skye Hamilton, and she said she wanted us as a team during class when I got in.

"How-how could she do this to me?" I held my head in my hands.

"Alicia, that isn't what you need to worry about right now."

"What?"

Beatrice looked away for a minute.

"You're not as good as you used to be."

"Huh?"

"You're dancing with your head. You're perfect, rigid, and cold. You need to… dance with the soul."

"Dance with the soul?" I stared at her.

"Find…find your passion!" Beatrice smiled, "Have some fun with your boyfriend! Go hang out with some friends. Dance with your heart!"

She smiled wide.

But she was telling me that I could be turned down!

If I got turned down, I would be in Westchester this fall! And then I would get stuck going to some New York exclusive school where I would take Pre-Law or something and spend my life in an office, or worse!

I might end up as a housewife!

I cringed at the thought.

"Dance with my heart?"

"You can do this, Alicia. Just find yourself and find your dance."

She founded like my old teacher, who gave metaphors every two minutes.

I had never been able to understand them but always nodded like it made complete sense.

"I've got to get going, Beatrice. I'll see you on Thursday."

_**XXXXX**_

"Hey, it's Brandon. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you."

I hung up and threw the phone to the soft carpet in the gossip room.

I had tried to call Brandon four times, and he hadn't answered once.

"Everything is falling apart, and he can't answer his freakin' phone!"

_Screw this_.

I pushed past a chair and pulled out a mini fridge stocked with everything from rum to wine.

I reached for the bottle of Champaign I had been saving to celebrate getting into the school, and I poured a glass into my brand new Champaign flutes with _Hottie With a Dancer's Body_ written in gold. I had ordered four at the beginning of summer for the itGirls.

But now it seemed I only needed one…

That made me feel even worse.

I picked up the bottle, and I sat down on the floor on the dance studio, turning on the latest dance songs that I had just gotten on iTunes to rehearse for my new classes.

Downing a glass of Champaign, I crawled back to the gossip room with the bottle in hand and reached for my cell phone.

I pressed 2 for my speed dial set for Olivia, and I waited for an answer.

"Sorry," Olivia giggled, "Can't get to the phone. Leave a message at the beep," Olivia changed her voice to seductive, "Make it _good._"

I took a swig of Champaign, and I decided to leave a message.

_Beep._

"Where the hell is everyone? I just- I need to talk to you. That _whore_ CeCe is a be-otch! She's-she's-she's… _ughhh!_" I took a breath, "Call me, okay?"

I hung the iPhone up, and I took another long drink of Champaign.

As the Champaign made me relax and my brain went bubbly, I picked up my phone again.

I had deleted the contact, but I knew it by heart anyway.

It was just a mental thing to tell me that I had moved on.

"Hey, it's D.H. The Damn Hottie! Say something at the beep, and I might respond! Kidding, maybe…"

It felt good to hear his voice.

I could almost see him smirking at the end, and my eyes began to water as I thought about the last time I talked to him…

_Beeeep_.

"Hey, Derrick. It's Alicia…. Well, you told me to call you when I cut through all the bullshit, and I…" I choked up, "How did this all get so out of hand? CeCe tried to steal my spot in the Dance School, and she might get it. And she released the pictures of you and Massie. And…"

I closed my eyes tightly.

I wanted to tell him that it hurt most that no one was here, that he was right when he said that he was the only one who gave a damn about me. I wanted to tell him that I missed him and that I hated having done this to him. I wanted to tell him everything.

But I could only say one thing.

"You were smart to leave me…" my voice was a whisper.

The beep telling me to shut up went off, and I cried harder, putting the phone down in the charging dock.

I picked myself up and I took the bottle back to the studio as I changed into a black sweater and hot pink boy shorts.

I poured myself another glass of Champaign, and I was about to take my first sip as I heard someone.

"Leesh?"

I looked up and smiled.

"Olivia, there you are."

I wanted to be mad and punish my Beta for being MIA for so long, but I needed someone right now.

"Oh my Gawd!" I put my glass down and ran to her, "CeCe is syco! Crazy! She-she's been lying to us r years! She's been taking these dance clasess…"

I told her everything about what happened with CeCe, and Olivia remained silent.

But I could tell she hadn't known from her face.

Olivia had always been easy to read.

But I couldn't tell what was really wrong with her.

I could only tell that it was so serious that she didn't care about this.

"Champaign? You look like you could use some relaxation?"

"Uh, no," Olivia shook her head, and I stared at her.

Olivia never turned down a drink…

"Eh. Ma. Gawd."

She's pregnant.

"How-how long have you know?"

"Um, about a week?"

When she went MIA…

"Oh my God," I stared at her.

I wasn't sure if I should be sad or if I should be happy for her.

"D-Do you want me to take you?"

"I'm going to keep it," Olivia let out a weak smile as she put her hand on her stomach.

It wasn't puffed out yet.

She dressed in such tight clothes that you would be able to tell the minute that it was.

"Wow," I smiled weakly, "So the dad? Is he okay with it? Or is he around?"

_Or do you even know who he is?_

But I didn't add that part because I didn't want to piss off my only friend.

"He's the reason I'm keeping it really. He really wants it," Olivia smiled at her belly, "He thinks it'll be a boy."

"So, who is he?"

"My baby?"

"No, the _father_. You two are together? Is he around? Or will he only be around with the baby?"

"Um, I guess. He's kind of with someone else right now."

"Oh the secret boyfriend. Well come on, what's his name?"

"Um, why do you want to know?" Olivia nervously put her hair behind her ear, getting it stuck in her hoop earring and having to fix it.

"Why won't you tell me, Olivia? I know you…" I trailed off so that I didn't have to call her a whore.

Olivia looked me in the eyes, and I felt my stomach churn.

We got involved with taken guys, and we all had our rules.

But the main one that was all shared was simple.

You don't tell the girlfriend.

"You won't tell me because I'm the girlfriend."

"I'm so sorry," Olivia began to cry, "I-I-"

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long have you been screwing my boyfriend?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Two months. And I'm four weeks pregnant," Olivia put a hand on her belly, probably to keep me from killing her on the spot.

"Why?" my eyes watered.

Olivia hesitated.

"I don't know. He was just… he was _the_ Brandon. And he was talking to me. And I don't know…"

"But we've been best friends since we were twelve! And he was my boyfriend! And I would have never done that to you!"

Well not your boyfriend.

But I had screwed a few of her crushes.

I wouldn't do _this_ though!

How-how could she?

CeCe and I had a Beta-Alpha relationship.

But Olivia and I were really friends!

"I am so sorry, Alicia. Y-You can be the god-mother!" she smiled wide.

I stared at her, and my anger boiled.

I picked up a random CD and threw it at the dumb blonde.

"You've been screwing around with my boyfriend for two months! You're pregnant with his _baby!_ And you tell me today of all days! And you think I want to be the Gawd damn godmother!" I threw another CD, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Alicia!"

"Get out," I pointed to the door.

"Bu-"

"Get out! Just get out! _Get. Out_! I screamed, and Olivia quickly scurried out.

I hugged my knees and sobbed into my arms.

No.

Now I'd cut through all of the bullshit.

What brought me here?

_**Next chapter is a flash-back to four years ago.**_


	25. Beginnings and Endings

_**The Summer of Endings**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>May:<strong>_

_**Massie,**_

"Don't stare."

I looked back to Genevieve, James's cousin.

The Winston's were spread out across the continent, which was why it finally made sense that James was so bilingual. I had only met a few members of his family, but I had already learned so much from them all.

Genevieve was from Paris, where she had lived until she was fifteen. When her parents got a divorce, Genevieve's mother got main custody, and she decided to take her daughter where they could start over, in her home country of England. But they had opted to move into an expensive flat in London instead of a huge home in the countryside.

Genevieve, or Eve as she had chosen to be called as she started over in England, was so close to James that she might as well have been his sister.

"I'm not staring," I rolled my eyes as I took a sip of my tea, and Genevieve nudged me.

"Liar."

I didn't fight it because I knew she was right.

I was completely in love with her cousin, James.

James Winston.

Star of the rugby team.

Genius of our grade.

The boy that every girl was in love with.

And my best friend.

That was the problem.

James was my best friend. He was my everything this year, and I couldn't imagine my life without him.

I just couldn't lose him.

"He likes you, too, you know," Genevieve smiled, and I rolled my eyes.

"You're mad, Eve. Completely mad," I told her as I peeked out of the corner of my eye to see James, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

James was playing soccer with Robin and a few other friends, but I only had eyes for James…

"You two would be a good match," Eve smiled, and I rolled my eyes but thought about it.

I thought we would, too.

I desperately wanted him to make his move this summer.

"And you've got all summer to tell him you know. It would probably be better to start the school year together, to get all of those girls to stop chasing him," Eve smirked, "Not that he notices."

Eve and James looked so similar that it was hard to remember that they were cousins, not siblings.

The eighteen year old looked just like him, just as perfect. When she graduated KISS a few months ago, she cut off her long wavy black hair to the middle of her graceful neck. Her eyes were bright blue, and she barely had to wear make-up, so she didn't. Her lips were thick, and her nose had the perfect slope that Duh-livia had tried to get for years.

"I'm going to get some lemonade. Do you want some?"

"No thank you, but if Aunt Elise made some of those lemon bars, get me some," Eve smiled wide as she reclined into the comfortable arm chair in the sunroom looking out to the perfectly manicured garden that Mrs. Winston kept, the barbeque area that Mr. Winston loved, and the pool and sports area that James's took care of.

I loved being at this house.

I adored our new castle and the beautiful garden in the back that felt like a fairy tale, but I loved how James's house felt like a home.

When I got into the kitchen, my nostrils were attacked by the smell of fresh cookies and the latest treat Mrs. Winston had created.

"Oh, Massie, Darling."

Mrs. Winston.

I loved her so.

It was amazing to be around her. She was sweet and beautiful and wonderful and every other compliment I could think of.

"Hello, Mrs. Winston."

"Call me, Elle, I've told you a million times."

"Alright, Elle," I smiled, "Do you have any more of that lemonade?"

"Of course! I just made some," Elle reached into the refrigerator (American size, I happily noted) and pulled out a pitcher.

I smiled thanks as she brought out a glass and began to pour some for me.

"Where is James?" Elle asked as she handed me the glass gingerly.

"Oh playing with the boys. Eve and I were just talking."

I smiled thanks again as I nodded to leave, and Elle stopped me.

"Massie, I heard James asked you if you would like to come to the retreat at the end of the summer. How do you feel about it? We would love if you came."

The retreat.

Before the boys and Eve had showed up, James and I had been sitting out on the porch with a cup of tea when he had asked me about the retreat. I had been shocked when he asked, unable to believe that he would ask me something so personal…

Before I could answer, everyone showed up and pulled us different ways.

It was a blessing because I wasn't sure.

"Of course, Elle. I would love to."

* * *

><p><strong>June:<strong>

_**Dylan,**_

"Oh my Gawd! He is totes in to you!"

"I hope he is," Massie smiled through the camera as she leaned back into her desk chair.

When Massie had gotten to Westchester for her visit, she had told us everything about what happened with James.

We were all shocked to hear that she was scared to tell him how she felt.

This was Massie! Confident Massie.

_Especially_ with boys.

But suddenly she was timid to ruin their friendship.

Suddenly, she felt like a different Massie.

A refined Massie. A mature Massie.

… a _British_ Massie.

It was scary.

All of her stories seemed to be about her new friends. Like Strawberry's 'badass' ways. Quinn's brilliance. Robin's flirtatious ways that reminded her of Derrington. Or how much fun she had shopping with Wyatt.

And even her style had seemed to change.

Her hair was darker, and her skin was porcelain. Though she was still chic in her style, she stopped dressing as old as she usually did. Suddenly, she wore all of these vintage clothes with bight bold colors to add a Massie Twist. And she had this glow when she talked about James.

Massie seemed to have grown older, or maybe just different.

I still loved Massie, but it scared the hell out of me to think that she might outgrow me, too.

"Why don't you tell him?"

"I just-I just don't want to mess things up. I don't know what I'd do without him. I just can't lose him."

I nodded, not sure how to respond,

"Hey, what's up with you and your boy," Massie smiled.

My boy.

Landon's best friend.

On Valentines Day, he finally leaned in and kissed me, and we had been dating since.

"We're okay. I mean, nothing much to tell. He wants me to go to ADHD, but, with the show, I can't. High school is going to suck without you, Massie," I looked down to the picture of us laughing at Halloween, where my alpha was dressed as a _Trampire._

"It'll be fine. You've got the rest of the PC."

I wasn't so sure about that, but I didn't tell her that.

None of us did.

"It's not the same, Mass. Besides, you've got James. You don't know any high school hardship."

"Shut up, Dylan," Massie smiled, but she was blushing.

But then her amber eyes wandered down to her cell phone.

"I've got to get going. Sushi and shopping with Strawberry and Quinn. I'll call you tonight."

She kept forgetting about the time difference, but I would probably be up anyway.

"Sure," I nodded as the skype clicked off, and my IM began to buzz.

**Hottie-With-a-Dancer's-Body: Up for coffee? Totally need some retail therapy.**

I loved Alicia, I did.

But recently we hadn't been able to get along.

I wasn't sure what it was.

I think it's because I miss Massie, and I want our old Alpha back.

But Alicia is determined to prove that she is alpha now.

I didn't mean to compare her to Massie as often as I did, but it just happened like that. And Alicia did not appreciate it.

But I was mainly scared of what she would become.

**Dyl-Me-In: Love to but have plans with my boyfriend. We're going for pizza. Sorry. Maybe next time?**

I quickly sent a text to my boyfriend to back up my story.

I hated lying to her, but I didn't want another fight today since I knew she was already on edge after a fight with Josh.

**Hottie-With-a-Dancer's-Body: Uh, sure. I'll go with Olivia. I haven't seen her in a long time anyway. See you tomorrow with the girls.**

_Hottie-With-a-Dancer's-Body has signed off._

Tomorrow with the girls.

The sleep-over.

We had one every two weeks. This tie, we were camping out in Claire's tee house.

I cringed as I thought back to Alicia's themed sleep-over, _Dance-a-Palooza_ where she and Olivia tried to teach us the latest fast-paced dance to the latest dance hit we all loved so much.

Well, we _used_ to love. We hated it thanks to that dance.

Even though I did like how many calories I lost, I never wanted to do it again…

"Dylan, the reviews are in for our last episode of the season! Want to see it?" my mom smiled as she pushed the door open and smiled.

"Sure," I shrugged.

Its not like I have much else to do.

* * *

><p><strong>July:<strong>

_**Alicia,**_

"I'll always be compared to Massie," I sat deflated at the frozen yogurt shop.

Massie.

My best friend.

We had been best friends since the second semester of sixth grade. We had fights and splits before, but we always ran back to each other, claiming ourselves _GLU_ (Girls Like Us). No matter what fight we had or boy drama, we were in it together.

But now?

She wasn't _my_ Massie.

Suddenly, she was gentle. She was nice. She was shy to admit her feelings.

Massie was still confident and definitely still an alpha. But she didn't care much anymore.

She talked most of her new friends, especially James. Her life was just as perfect as it had been here, maybe even better. Actally, it _was_ better.

She was one at the best schools in the world. Her father's new money gave her a castle and the best clothes, even if she had to change out of her super-cute school uniform to wear them. She had quirky amazing friends, including a well-known author who had a huge teen vogue article about her last month when her book came out. And she was alpha there in a short amount of time.

And, even worse, she had disappeared on her vacation with James.

I was beginning to worry that she would never return…

"Then you should leave."

I stared at Olivia in shock.

The PC had all bailed on our trip to go shopping.

Claire had forgotten about a sushi date with Cam and went out with him.

Dylan had to do something for her show, but I wasn't upset about that since we fought every time we were around each other.

And Kristen had Soccer Sisters.

"You could totally be Alpha, Alicia! But they'll always see you as Beta!" Olivia nodded as she ate a spoonful of her chocolate yogurt.

But, in honesty, I wasn't sure I could handle being Alpha.

It was so much harder than I had ever thought, especially since everyone missed Massie.

Even the people who openly hated her were missing her!

No one would accept me as Alpha…

I was ready to start all over at PCMS and become the upgraded PC, like when Apple continued to do well when Steve Jobs went to make that new computer company for a while.

I was good at it, but sometimes I felt this weird feeling.

This bitchiness settling over me from knowing that I was the queen and everyone else my peasants.

And I was scared to death it would become permanent.

I desperately wanted to be alpha though…

"But they're my friends, Olivia," I flipped my hair as I finished my low-fat yogurt.

"Friends. Puh-lease. You and Dylan are always fighting. Kristen is always playing soccer. And Claire is always with her boyfriend," Olivia narrowed her eyes.

She and Cam had history.

Olivia still hated him for leaving her for Claire, saying that he missed Claire and that Olivia was a complete idiot.

_Not that he was wrong…_

"What do you want me to do? Start a new clique?"

"Exactly! New school, new image. We could rule this place, Bay-Bay!"

I stared at my best friend.

Had she officially lost every IQ point?

"I know I sound crazy, Leesh. But you're friends are _soo_ not good to you. So what they miss Massie? _You_ miss Massie, too! You shouldn't be punished for it! And they'll never really let you be alpha! You'll always be Massie's old Beta. Even Massie had to go to a new school to become Alpha, Leesh. This is your chance to make alpha history."

I thought about it.

Maybe Olivia had actually said something… _intelligent._

She was right.

Massie and her clique had history, and, when things turned sour, she didn't wait around for the explosion to come like we were. She put on her best Prada and a new Gucci bag and marched into OCD with the PC, ready to start over and become Alpha of her own clique.

With Massie as my shadow, I will never be able to become a true leader.

They'll always mumble, "_Massie_ never did that" or "_Massie _could have done..."

And I'm tired of it.

I've tried to say something.

But all I got was the same as before.

Dylan in denial. Claire in tears. And Kristen leaving quietly to go play soccer or something.

They just wouldn't listen.

I had waited long enough.

I should form my own Clique.

Become alpha on my own.

But these are the girls…

Claire. Kristen. And Dylan.

Maybe we're all fighting and maybe we're all a bit cold to each other, but we've been friends _for-ev-ah!_

It would hurt so much to say goodbye…

And that weird feeling tugging at me.

That cruelness inside me.

I had seen it take over other alphas.

Was the PC keeping it from consuming me? Or would I be alright on my own?

"I don't know," I looked to my friendship bracelet made by Massie at our last sleepover.

"I may not know mathy stuff or anything. But I do know alpha. You _have_ to end this before the school year if you plan on ending it. Or it'll take you all _semester_ with new girls! And someone else might have already taken the spot!"

_We are a ticking time bomb,_ I told myself, _Just waiting to go off._

* * *

><p><strong>The School Year of Beginnings<strong>

_**Alicia,**_

_This is like ripping off a band-aid. It will hurt like hell, but it needs to be done,_ I told myself, _You are the hero. Now everyone can get on with their lives this year…_

It didn't soften the blow any more though.

I straightened my white nightgown and re-did my high ponytail.

I wanted to look strong to them.

This was it for us after all.

Tomorrow morning, we would be old friends.

Claire would go to ADHD probably since they had a better drama program, and she would make new theater friends. Maybe she would become their alpha. Claire Lyons, queen of the actors. I could see it…

Dylan would go to PCMS and become closer to her famous friends. And she would probably spend most of her time in class cooking to follow her dream of becoming a professional chef, but I was sure her mom would pull her out at some point. And Dylan would be fine, I knew that.

Kristen was so busy with soccer that she barely noticed us anyway. She would keep up with that and claim her rightful spot as alpha of the soccer girls at PCMS, or maybe just cling on to her not-so-secret clique with Layne.

And I would take my spot as leader of the coolest clique in PCMS, itGirls.

I already had Olivia and there was this girl named CeCe.

Well, yes, it was _Cecelia Peterson_.

The Wanna-Be.

She had been a personal joke to the PC before, but this summer had changed Cecelia in almost every way.

She dyed her almost brown hair bright honey blond and had her mother's model stylist to make it perfect. She got a personal trainer to get rid of what everyone had assumed was bodyweight last semester, which had been the talk of the school, but Cecelia loved it because at least she was being talked about. She had gotten taller, and her dad let her get a nose job after she "broke it on a treadmill" when she really just hated it. CeCe also made a big deal that her name was CeCe now, not Cecelia. And she had the same sexy look that we liked.

And her sister Bay, the computer geek. She had potential. She was a natural beauty and a genius. I might have to teach her how to be in the in-crowd. But it wouldn't be _that_ hard.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

I looked down to my iphone.

Three new texts.

All from the PC saying they were on their way.

I took a deep breath as I filled the glass bowl and got out my CP,

"Why does this hurt so damn much? We haven't really been friends since Massie!"

But it was this horrible ache.

All of those memories. All of our old jokes. Everything from our years of friendship.

Gone…

Replaced by faded memories and photos on Facebook.

I wonder what it will feel like…

Tomorrow.

Going to school without them, meeting up with my new Clique and making it obvious we were here to rule. Riding home without the PC. Friday nights without Friday Night Sleepovers. Taking their pictures off the cork board and replacing them…

"Leesh?"

Dylan.

Her voice was pained. She knew what was happening, but she also knew it was for the best.

At least I didn't have to worry about hurting her feelings too much…

"Hey, Dylan. Did you bring it?"

"Uh, yeah, I did," Dylan adjusted her carnation red hair behind her ear and went to sit on the soft rug, where I sat beside her.

We sat in silence for while before she hesitantly began talking.

"I'm sorry we were always fighting," Dylan twisted her finger around one of her curls.

"Me, too,"

"We were good friends before…"

Before Massie left.

"Some people just can't handle it. I guess we're those people…"

An awkward silence filled the room, and we just sat on the plush shag rug, waiting for everyone else.

"Oh, hey, Guys," Kristen's brown eyes were watering as she sat down on the rug beside us.

She held her CP as if it was her lifeline, and I realized that this was killing them just as much as it killed me…

But I had to do it.

We had to move on…

And then Claire came in, almost sobbing like a lunatic.

_Here we go…_

I set the bowl of water in the middle of the rug, and I took my seat beside the girls.

_You should go first_, I told myself_, as alpha._

But I just couldn't…

"I'll go-go first," Kristen paused before spraying the sweet smell of green apples into the air.

Dylan bit her red lower-lip before spraying the sweet scent that she had made her Claiming Perfume.

Claire looked like she might barf as she held up her perfume bottle and hesitated before spraying it, but, with her trembling fingers, she pressed the button on the bottle.

Everyone watched me.

And I had to force the strength to finish this.

I sprayed the Calvin Klein perfume into the glass bowl.

And something ached within me.

_I_ _can do this, I can do this,_ I told myself, _Alphas have to make sacrifices. This is your first…_

"I love you guys," Claire spoke first and fast, wanting to get that out there before everything went down and we were over.

"I love you guys, too," Dylan's eyes watered.

"Same here," Kristen let a stray tear fall down her rosy cheek.

I loved them, too.

"This is for the best," I told them. I wasn't lying. With ending this now, we could begin our new lives tomorrow and, by the end of the semester, I was sure that everything would be fine for us all…

Sometimes people have to take different paths.

I mentally called on Kelly Clarkson strength from _Already Gone_.

That's what we were.

Someone had to go down the road first.

And it would have to be me….

I could tell they all hated me for it though…

"Before we do this," Dylan spoke up, "I just want one more promise."

We all stared at her and silently urged her to continue.

"Don't forget about us. Don't forget about our good times. Or our bad times. Or our boys times…." Dylan choked back a cry, "Don't forget about Massie."

My heart broke.

And they all looked to me.

"Hands over the bowl,"

They all did.

_You have to do it, you have to do it,_ I reminded myself.

"One."

They will be fine.

We all will be.

They'll find their respected cliques or whatever to choose to do, and they will live happily ever after.

The PC is holding them back…

"Two."

If you ever want to be the new Massie and escape her shadow, you will do this, Alicia.

"Three."

But maybe I don't.

It's too late now…

_**The Morning After…**_

I smiled as I spun around in my altered PCMS uniform that fit me perfectly, and I straightened my blazer over my blue dress. My dark black hair was curled around me, and my velvetly brown eyes were shining with the possibility of what could happen today.

I can be alpha!

I fastened my diamond and ruby necklace on my neck, and I was putting my drop down earrings on when I noticed the bracelet.

Massie's friendship bracelet…

I felt like I was going to puke as I looked at it.

It was just then that it finally sunk in.

The PC was over.

Claire was off to ADHD this morning and would easily take over the drama department. Kristen would barely notice that we were gone and would bond with her Soccer Sisters. And Dylan would get closer to those famous friends of hers.

We were all fine…

This was our new beginning.

New school, new chances.

I just had to say goodbye to the old.

I slid the bracelet off of my wrist and stared at it for a long time.

"I'm sorry, Mass. It had to be done. You left me here to be alpha, and now I have to be alpha," I told the picture of us all on the Cork board from when we took Massie to the airport.

_She's gone forever, I know she is. That was really it for us, _my brown eyes threatened to cry, and I had to remind myself of how long I spent applying eyeliner and the perfect amount of mascara to keep me from sobbing like a total LBR.

"Alicia, Olivia's mom is here!" my mom called through the intercom, and I adjusted my cute little knee socks to run down the stairs to see her.

Tomorrow, I would be the carpool, but only Olivia knew where everyone lived.

"Bye, Mom."

"Good luck, Darling!" my mom told me as I hurried out to Olivia's mom's Infiniti, and Olivia smiled wide as she saw me.

I slid into the backseat, and I took a look at the girls beside me.

"I'm Bay," a cute girl with long black hair smiled at me. Her hair was tied into a side braid, and she didn't wear much make-up. But she was so naturally beautiful…

And so nice.

I liked her already, though I knew she may not be right for our new image.

"And I'm CeCe," CeCe flipped her newly-blonde hair, smiling a devilish smile.

And she's in, too.

"I'm Alicia," I smiled a confident smile, and they seemed to buy in to it.

I finally felt it.

That alpha high.

I was their alpha. I didn't have to be compared to Massie anymore. I was Alicia, Alicia and was their leader without a doubt.

And I luhved the feeling.

A new Alpha had been born. Someone else would tell my story when they were deciding to leave their old group to become alpha on their own. Sure, when people thought about Middle School, they would think about Massie.

But, when they thought about High School, they would think about me.

Alicia Rivera.

The it girl.

That was our name!

_itGirls._

It's what we are…

And no one will be able to doubt it!

"Turn it to 97.7," I smiled as I leaned back into my seat and put my sunglasses on.

_**I had this almost all written out before, but I lost my files during a computer break a few months ago. And I wasn't sure where to go with this.**_

_**So I decided to show what happened with the PC.**_

_**How they were fighting. How they worried that their alpha was growing away from them. Why Alicia decided to end it.**_

_**And I kind of wanted to show the moment that lead Alicia to be who she became.**_


	26. How We Got Where We Are

_**I decided to show what made them completely who they are today.**_

_**One thing for each year. But I left out Claire because you basically know everything that happened to her.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Age: 14<strong>

**Kristen,**

I sat in the center of my room and looked around.

Everything was gone.

Packed up in the U-Haul.

My bed had been taken apart and put in the back. All of my clothes were in boxes with _Kristen's Clothes_ written in perfect block letters. My trophies were carefully wrapped up before being put in a box, and my mom had spent hours making sure that everything was out of this room for the new owners.

Now I was just sitting in the middle of an empty room that used to be full of everything.

Well, it wasn't empty.

In front of me, I had the letter.

_The letter that changed my life._

I had only been in PCMS for a week when the letter came in.

My hair was still wet from taking a shower after soccer practice, and Dempsey's mom drove us home since my mom was still at work. I had absent-mindedly opened the mailbox and crammed the mail into my backpack before going to work on my homework with Dempsey.

But, when I got home, I opened the letter. And, even worse, my mom opened it.

It didn't take long for it all to fall into place.

My mom filed to be transferred down to Florida, and they quickly accepted it. We turned in our lease, and my parents adjusted their custody agreement since we would be so far away. I packed up my stuff, and I said goodbye to my soccer sisters, who tried not to be jealous of me.

But then Dempsey…

My heart ached as I thought about him.

I told him goodbye, and I just left, saying that this would probably be the last time we would see each other because I was moving to Florida.

I broke his heart…

I broke _my_ heart.

But I didn't have a choice.

I didn't want us to be one of _those _couples.

The ones who tried to stay together desperately. The ones whose love slowly faded. The ones who got jealous at everything, convinced that there was someone else, until the bitter end, when they just couldn't stand it anymore.

I never wanted to stop and wonder where the love in our relationship went.

We were only fourteen anyway, almost fifteen.

What did it even matter?

It's not like we were going to get married or anything…

But why did it hurt so much?

My Westchester life was basically over anyway.

Massie was gone…

The itGirls took PCMS by storm, and they had already taken head spot with Alicia as their Alpha. I was happy for her, I guess. It was what she always wanted…

Soccer quickly became my life, I suppose.

Layne was the only person outside of soccer that I hung around and that had been rare.

But now it was seriously gone.

I knew I would only keep in touch with Layne and our Skype-Friends.

But the PC?

"That's long over," I told myself solemnly, and my heart began to ache even more.

I'll make new friends. I'll have a new PC…

But I'll never have a new Dempsey.

"Kristen, it's time to go, Baby."

I looked up to my mom, who was smiling weakly.

It was Friday, the day we would have had a sleepover if the PC was still together.

My mom started work on Monday, and I started my soccer stuff on Tuesday.

My mom had let me stay as long as we could.

But this was it…

I stood up and brushed my jeans off, looking one more time around the bedroom.

_It's time for my new start_, I told myself, _We all have to start over at some point. _

I never thought I'd be here though.

Moving to Florida. The PC being broken up. Massie in London!

I wanted to call Massie, but she was gone.

I knew that now…

"Coming, Mom," I put the letter in my messenger bag and followed after her.

"This is good for us. A new life, Krist-mas," my mom nudged me, and I smiled weakly as she closed the front door behind her.

"Yeah," I pushed my hair behind my ear.

My mom led me down stair, and I took in everything as we made our final depature from the place.

I remembered the way my sneakers sunk in the hallway carpet. The annoying elevator music. The smell of brownies from Mrs. Lucas's apartment. And the lobby as we walked through it for the final time.

My mom got into the cab that would take us to JFK, where we had a night-time flight, and I hesitated to look around the building one more time.

And that was when I saw him.

His mom's Prius pulled to a stop, and she carefully got out of the car, having trouble with her baby bump. And he ruffled his dark brown hair as he shoved his soccer uniform deeper into his duffle bag.

This was their last week here.

They were moving into an eco-friendly place next Monday to get ready for the twin boys the Solomon's were about to have.

But he was here now.

I froze.

And shock covered his handsome face as he saw me.

I felt out a weak wave, but anger filled his eyes.

He stormed into the building, and his mom stared at him with confusion.

But I knew what he meant.

I felt my eyes water as I got into the cab.

"What's wrong, Kristen?"

"Nothing, let's just go," I let a tear stream down my face.

This was my start.

Soccer was my new life.

And it was time that life started.

**(Massie's Outfit Is On Polyvore)**

**Age: 15**

**Massie**

"Is Christmas always this beautiful here?" I asked as I looked around the garden.

It was the kind of Christmas that you have in books.

The winter sun had gone down early, but the moon and Christmas lights illuminated the evening perfectly. Snow was gently floating to the ground, and the garden had beautifully frosted. And the night sky was perfect.

I looked like something from a romantic comedy that I had probably seen a million times.

My red beanie matched my flushed cheeks, and my curls spilled from out of the hat. My skin was porcelain, and my lips were ruby red. And I was red from more than being cold since James was beside me.

When James had first said he would come over, I had planned on wearing a crisp pair of kakis and a red jacket. But I decided instead to go more edgy, as my fashion had become when I first came to England.

My riding boots went just under my knee, and my red tights kept in the limited heat of the English winter. I had on a white mini skirt and a pair of gloves to make sure I was warm. My red peacoat had a white turtleneck underneath, and I was warmer than I had expected to be.

I could be wearing a tank top and a pair of booty shorts, and I would still be warm with James beside me.

"It's not even Christmas. It'll be beautiful," James smiled, "Too bad you're going to Aspen with your family."

I had wanted to stay here with James to enjoy a real English Christmas, but it was a big Block-family thing. And our family wanted to see us…

"Stop reminding me," I blushed as I looked to my steaming mug of hot chocolate.

James looked to the stars for a minute, and I wished he would just look back to me and kiss me.

It had been a year since we had first met on the plane, and he still hadn't done _anything._

"So are you still going to big party with us at New Years?

I smiled.

The big party was the London End of the Year bash that _everyone_ was going to, and I was the one who had scored us all tickets. There was no way that I would miss it, especially since I wanted James to be my New Year's kiss.

"Yeah, I'll be back the Thirtieth."

"When do you leave tomorrow?"

"My flight is at Ten AM."

That meant I probably needed to get to bed if I would make my flight with how much waiting I had to do.

"You should probably get to bed."

"Yeah," I hesitantly stood, "Want me to call your Mum?"

"She's picking me up about now anyway," James shrugged.

I nodded and we started through the garden.

I mentally began the email that I would write to Strawberry tonight, who was in Monte Carlo with her mom, about how I had once again chickened out about telling James how I felt.

This was the millionth time I had done so.

I just couldn't tell him…

I was so scared he didn't feel the same way.

What if all of those things that people took as him liking me was just his sweetheart nature?

Gawd, why can't this be easier?

"This is a short cut," I pointed towards the door that lead to the foyer.

James froze as we got to the top of the three stairs.

"What?"

James pointed towards the ceiling, and my jaw dropped.

Mistletoe.

James and I blushed.

"W-We don't have to," I shook my head as I pointed to the decoration, and James's bright blue eyes met mine.

"We might as well. Old tradition."

I felt my heart speed up.

James got closer and closer, and it felt like an eternity.

_Oh Gawd, just kiss me already!_

And then he did.

I melted into his lips, and what was supposed to be a peck turned into a long perfect kiss…

He slowly pulled away, and my lips longed for his once more.

"Maybe…" James was still breathing from holding his breath so long.

"Just one more," I finished for him, and he wrapped his arms around my waist o keep me close to him.

I could have stood on the stairs kissing him forever, the kiss getting better and better with each second, but then the doorbell rang.

My heart was so loud that I worried James could hear it as he slowly pulled away from me and stared deep into my amber eyes, making my knees turn to jelly. I silently prayed that we could just pretend that we hadn't heart the doorbell and keep kissing.

"I guess I'll see you at the party."

A big smile formed, and I flushed bright red.

"Save me a kiss."

James leaned in to kiss me again.

But then the doorbell rang again.

"That's my Mum."

This was probably the only time I had ever been mad at his mom.

"I'll email you tomorrow?" I asked and James smiled as he kissed the top of my head.

"I wish I had done this sooner."

"Me, too."

This time, James didn't try to kiss me so that his mom would have to interrupt us again.

He quickly headed towards where his mom was waiting and I was dazed as I walked up to my room.

I threw my beanie to the floor, and I collapsed on my bed.

"Eh. Ma. _Gawd!_" I smiled wide.

**Age: 16**

**Alicia,**

I looked at the picture of Derrick on my cell phone.

We were so happy…

Sitting on a beach, laughing together.

Derrick was at soccer camp, and I hadn't gotten to tell him yet…

When my parents found out, I was quickly put on a plane to Spain to hide away.

That day was probably the most important of my life, looking back on it.

Olivia teased me about how I had been so sick and snappy, and I started thinking about it. So, under the cover of Abercrombie clothes and big sunglasses, I went to CVS to buy a pregnancy test. No one there recognized me.

But then my mom got home early from Garden Club.

She gasped when she saw me with the test, and it wasn't long before she and my dad were sobbing, saying that they might as well get me a real test from a real doctor.

Suddenly, I felt horrible, and I wanted to tell Derrick. But I didn't want to worry him. So, I just went the next morning and peed in the stupid cup.

And then I found out.

As soon as my parents saw the results, they got me a flight to go stay with my aunt, and they tried to work out what they would do. Eventually, they decided that we would go on a vacation to find our roots and decide to "adopt" a baby while they were there, or that was what they would tell anyone.

I had never felt shame like I felt at that moment, and I couldn't tell Derrick. I just told him that it was a family thing and that I would see him soon…

Somewhere along the way of everything, I felt excitement grow for the idea of my child.

I loved dance, yes, but it wasn't the only thing I could do. I could become a TMZ anchor still. And since when had I ever cared about what people thought of me?

Maybe I could even admit the baby was mine…

_I think you'll be a girl_, I mentally told the baby, _And I like the name Isabell. Or Cassandra. Maybe even Audrey…_

My only worry now was that he wouldn't like the baby.

But if Derrick didn't want it, screw him!

This was my baby, and I already adored it.

"Are you ready?" the nurse smiled, and I nodded happily as I looked to my stomach.

I was worried that I wasn't gaining enough weight…

"Are you excited?" my mom smiled.

While she wasn't happy that her baby was pregnant, she did like the idea of raising another child….

"You need to be gaining more weight, Ms. Rivera. It's still early, but it might hurt the baby later on," my nurse smiled, "The doctor should be here any minute to get your first sonogram."

I couldn't wait to see my little baby…

"So may I ask where the father is?"

I answered before my mother could.

"He's in America."

"America, and you're from there, too? I can tell by your accent. You look so Spanish I never would have guessed."

My smile widened after all of those times Massie called me Fannish.

Massie.

Since I was spending the next nine months in Spain, maybe I could go meet her again.

I did miss her.

I never told anyone, but I did.

And I missed the PC.

But they were all doing alright, I guess.

Claire was in the drama club, just as I expected. And she was sort of queen of it.

Dylan left PCMS and was homeschooled now by the best Hollywood Homeschooler on the East Coast.

Kristen was in Florida, and no one had really heard from her since.

And Massie…

Massie was gone.

I felt like I was about to cry when the door opened, and I suddenly felt all of my excitement come back.

But then I saw his face.

"Oh my God. Is something wrong?" my face fell, and my eyes watered.

"Ms. Rivera," my doctor sat down.

I froze.

No, no, something happened to my baby.

"I'm afraid that your doctor mixed up your test results."

"What?"

"Ms. Rivera, you're not pregnant."

I felt like I was going to throw up.

"I-I've got to be pregnant! I took a test! Two! They were positive, and I went to my doctor. And-And she said I was pregnant!"

"Well have you ever heard of that singer? Alicia Rivera?"

Yeah, the one-hit-wonder with a popular dance song that people were already beginning to forget.

I nodded.

"Well, she wanted to find out in secret. So she went to the same doctor as you and had the test at the same time. They mixed up your test results. She is pregnant," the doctor hesitated, "You are not."

I felt like my entire world was crashing around me.

I-I'm not pregnant….

I should be excited.

I don't have to be a sixteen and pregnant girl. Derrington doesn't have to hit with all of this responsibility. And our lives don't have to be turned upside down with a baby.

This should be wonderful.

I should be smiling, not crying.

But I was.

Suddenly, this little was…_gone._

There would be no Cassandra or Audrey or whatever I wanted to name it. I wouldn't need to buy that pram I had been planning on buying. I wouldn't take my child to the top daycare in the country situated in New York City when I went to school...

I wouldn't have those tender moments of motherhood. I wouldn't get to sob from joy when I first held my child. I wouldn't get to laugh with Derrington about names, threatening to give the baby a soap opera name like what I called him.

It was never there….

I wasn't pregnant.

But, suddenly, it felt like I had just been told I had a miscarriage.

"I'll leave you alone to think about this," the doctor stood, and he motioned for the nurse to stand, too, who looked like she was about to cry with me.

My mother and I sat in silence for what felt like an eternity.

"Are you okay, Baby?" my mom asked, putting a comforting hand on my hand, but I kept staring at the picture of a poster reminding you of the consequences of unprotected sex.

I didn't answer.

"This is good, Alicia. You have your entire life ahead of you."

"Yeah," I finally responded, but my head wasn't in it.

I kept thinking about the baby that I didn't have…

Suddenly, I felt something snap in me.

I couldn't see him again.

Not without thinking of my little baby that was never born.

I couldn't look into his brown eyes and not wonder if our baby would have had those eyes. I couldn't run a hand through his blonde hair and not stop and imagine our daughter with my straight hair with his blonde color. And I couldn't kiss his soft lips without wondering how we would have been if the baby had been born.

I promised myself that I wouldn't feel this pain again.

That I would block it out forever.

Even if that meant blocking Derrington out, too.

And, along with getting rid of my pain, I also seemed to get rid of my humanity.

My transformation was complete.

I was finally Alpha Bitch.

And I didn't even notice…

_**Age: 17**_

_**Dylan,**_

"Everyone is talking about the movie," Angela nudged me, and I smiled.

We had been best friends since we were fifteen, when I left school for my show.

Angela was beautiful.

She had short blonde hair fashioned into a bob, and she had bright brown eyes. Her cheekbones were high, and the only problem she might have had was that she had a Talulah Riley nose. Other wise, she was basically perfect.

We met two year ago when her supermodel mother was interviewed by my mother in a special in the Bahamas.

Ever since we had been tighter than my mom's skin after her Botox sessions.

Everyone in our group of friends was famous but for our parents.

I was one of the only ones who wanted to earn my fame.

That had been controversy, but we were all still friends.

The movie was my first movie. The movie was a romantic comedy where I played Annalynn, the daughter of a major music producer who was in love with the starlet of his company (who was also good friends with Annalynn and had her as her guitarist), though he was engaged to amazing business woman, Lucinda. It went as you can guess. Annalynn realized that the starlet was in love with her father and brought them together at a concert where she had the Starlett sing her true feelings for her father, picked up a romantic interest for herself (the drummer), and sent evil Lucida away from her father.

I loved the role, though it wasn't too special or anything. The only thing I hadn't liked was that I had been forced to dye my hair black so that I could really play the role of Annalynn, the punk guitarist who was best friends with her dad after her mother's death and best friends with the young singer after working together so much.

"I'm sure they're really talking about the last soccer game, Ang," I rolled my eyes, and Angela smirked.

"Puh-lease. Super-star and you think they care about _soccer_?"

"Plenty of super-stars have lived here, Angela. And they knew me when I was just Dylan, not Dylan Marvil from _Marvelous Marvils._

Though I loved Angela, sometimes she seemed to think that famous people were better than everyone else…

"Whatever, I'm going to go get a drink. Do you want anything?" Angela looked around the party.

"No, I'm going to go see if I can find Lewis," I smiled and Angela nudged me.

"You two would be such a good couple!"

We would.

But it just… _wasn't there_.

"I've told you a million times that just don't have it."

"Well, you _should_," Angela told me before scurrying into the crowd of the party to find the drink table.

I was shocked by how many were staring, though they pretended to not be.

Maybe Angela was right…

Maybe I'm not one of them anymore.

But I didn't want to think about that.

I weaved through the party to get to the terrace of Derrick's mega mansion, suddenly needing fresh air.

When I finally got to the door, I took a deep breath and closed it behind me.

"Alicia, where are you? Get on the damn phone! I can't stand much more of this..."

I froze.

Was that-?

"Well, call me back. Or just show up. You know where I am."

I peeked over, and there was a boy standing in the snow.

Eh.

Ma.

Gawd.

Was that Josh?

It had been so long since I had seen him…

He looked… _amazing_, actually. Gorgeous.

And then he saw me.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to listen in or anything. I just needed air from the party, and you were here and…" I became flustered.

Why was I flustered?

"Dylan."

I blushed as he came into the light where he could see me.

"Dyaln, it _is_ you. Wow," a smile formed, and my heart began to beat rapidly, "Hey."

"Hey, it's, um, been a while, huh?"

"Yeah, ever since you left us to go get famous," he smirked, and I blushed even more.

"I love it," I smiled, and Josh nodded.

"So, I thought you were in Manhattan now with your sister."

"No, I'm back in Westchester. I just had some things to do for the movie that just came out in Manhattan. And I'm here to stay…" I smiled, and Josh smiled weakly.

If I wasn't mistaken, he was staring at me…

Taking in every detail about me, everything that had changed.

And, if anything, I liked it.

What are you doing?

He's still dating Alicia!

Your ex-best friend!

"I better get back to the party," I nodded.

"I'm going to get out of here. Alicia bailed on me," Josh shrugged, "You wanna come? Grab some coffee or something?"

I stared.

"As old friends," he quickly reassured me, "I mean, we were friends. and it's been forever since I've seen you."

I hesitated.

But I couldn't help it.

Being around Josh suddenly made me feel fuzzy and_… smiley_.

And stupid.

"Sure."

I promised myself that we wouldn't do anything.

Or, at least, that we would definitely wait until he broke up with Alicia.

Gawd, who am I?

I didn't care.

I had been trying to feel like this for years!

I had dated famous actors. Sons of directors. Sports stars. Even a few no-name guys, which Angela hadn't liked.

But I hadn't felt anything like this crazy, heart beating thing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Alright, so the Dylan thing wasn't how I thought it would be. But I wanted to show them meeting, and I had honestly never really thought about it.<strong>_

_**But that wasn't the big shocker, huh?**_

_**I was going to wait until later for the big shocker about Alicia and the baby, but I decided now was as good a time as any because I wanted to show why she hadn't stayed with Derrick and why she had suddenly gone over to the dark side.**_

_**What did you think?**_


	27. What Friends Are For

_**Alicia,**_

Why have I done all of this?

How did I become _this_?

I always swore to myself that I would never become the stereotype bitch queen bee. I told myself that was too _Mean Girls_ for me and that there was _no_ way I was going Lindsay Lohan.

Besides, I also knew that evil alphas became evil wannabes reminiscing about their time as queen.

And now, where was I?

The bottom of the food chain, a sobbing mess who is about to end up in Westchester when she is supposed to be out in New York City, becoming a professional dancer!

And the worst part is that I deserve it…

A few years ago, I would have overthrown me in a heartbeat. And I would have had the big confrontation scene like in those teen movies we all secretly love, where the new kid basically tells the evil queen bee to go to hell after dethroning her.

Only this time it wasn't the new kid.

The new kid tried to save me.

Everyone did…

But I was too stubborn, I had too much faith in my clique.

I thought I was too hot and too cool to ever be cheated on. I thought that my best friend would be able to keep her skirt on when my super-hot boyfriend showed her attention. I thought that my beta would just stay here and marry some rich guy instead of trying to steal my life.

Why did I break up the PC for _them?_

My only friend out of all of them had been Bay, and I treated her like shit because she wasn't _"cool_" or slutty like us.

And, when she left for the Click, I just had anger. I didn't miss any of them. I was happy with my slutty blonde bimbo friends, who didn't care about me at all, and I kept on with my little "too cool for you" life as Alpha.

I began to wish that I had never called those girls over. That I had tried to get in touch with Massie instead of having anger for her ditching us. That we had all tried to work together to keep our friendship alive…

But we didn't.

I decided that it was time we had a new life.

That we all got our own cliques.

And look where that got me…

They all seemed to luck out, even they had total LBR lives in my opinion…

But they had true friends, not friends who betray you.

I felt like I was about to sob when the light finally turned green.

I kept driving my BMW, and I remembered the path to his house perfectly, which I hated.

In the morning light, I had dropped off everything.

Olivia's platform heels and book of conquests. CeCe's random stuff that she left lying around. And now his stuff.

I wiped at my eyes with the sleeve of my sweater, and I pulled my car into the circular driveway of Brandon's mansion. I adjusted my ponytail, and I looked at myself in the reflection from the car as I got out.

Who was I and what had I done with Alicia?

My long black hair was tied into a simple high ponytail, and my eyes looked dull. I didn't have any make-up helping my tear-stained face, and my ancient black sweater didn't fit me at all. My shorts were stained with baby formula that I had been too lazy to clean off after not being able to sleep last night and answering Piper's call throughout the night.

I picked up the cardboard box with _Brandon's Stuff_ written in Sharpie, and I closed the door to the car with my foot. My feet felt like lead as I went up to the door, and I hesitantly put the box on the doorstep and pressed the doorbell.

_And now to run_, I told myself as I hurried back to the door.

But it seemed like someone was up at seven AM in the Ramero family, and they quickly came to the door.

"Alicia?"

I froze.

Brandon.

I looked back, and he looked like he was about to cry as he looked at the box.

"So you heard?"

I hesitantly walked back to the doorstep.

"She told me."

Brandon looked away for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I really am."

I stared at him.

He got my best friend pregnant, and all he can say is that he is sorry?

If anything, that was worst.

"Alicia, I really am, I just… I just," Brandon tried to explain, but I cut him off.

"Goodbye, Brandon. And good luck with your child. I hope it's a boy like what you want," I told him, and Brandon stopped, realizing that I was never going to forgive him.

I went back to my car, and I started back towards my house.

But, this time, I couldn't stop the tears.

Suddenly, I just couldn't stop thinking about everything.

Having lost Derrick forever. CeCe trying to steal my dance scholarship. Olivia having an affair with Brandon and getting pregnant with his baby. My Alpha reign ending after everything I've done to get it.

I needed someone.

And I realized that I had _nothing_.

I had no fans, they all secretly hated me and were in love with Massie by now. I had no friends, they _also_ secretly hated me and left. I had no boyfriend, he got my best friend pregnant. And I didn't even have loyal Derrick, for the first time in years.

And I couldn't exactly keep telling my infant sister all of my problems while I changed her diapers and put her in her little playpen.

But, as I sat in my car, I suddenly only wanted to go to one place…

_**Massie,**_

"So your flight was good?"

Ellen smiled wide as she nodded.

"Oh delightful."

James and I looked between each other and silently agreed that his mother had dipped into the free Champaign from First Class like we had.

"That's great, Mum," James smiled back at her, and she kept smiling at me as James finally pulled into the apartment building.

His parents had rented the place next door for a week, though they honestly could have stayed in the second bedroom of the apartment we rented for the summer.

But his parents were convinced that James and I had to be in separate bedrooms because their baby boy was too proper for that.

Everyone knew, even my father, who just repeatedly made sure that I was on the patch because he didn't want a grandchild any time soon. But his parents just liked to pretend that they didn't know, which had often made James and me laugh.

James often had to remind me that his mom saw us as how they were when they met at eighteen. But I also reminded him that she was in culinary school in the country and he in school in London, that it was a different time, and that they also got married when they were twenty-two.

Ellen was a sweetheart though.

I wished I could be a mom like she was, though I knew I never would. She was the carpool mom, the kind who cut the crust off his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when he was a kid. The kind who carried him to every soccer practice, school dance, or whatever. The kind who picked up her son every day from school and asked him about his day, getting him cute little ice cream treats for him if he was having a bad day.

If I had a bad day, I got a bracelet or shoes or something. And I had to have the worst day ever to get a small low-fat yogurt with almonds.

We all got out of the car, and we had the usual small talk as we came into the building.

"I'm going to go ahead up, I'll see you guys in a minute okay?" I asked, and they all smiled.

"Go ahead," Ellen smiled before anyone else could open their mouth and I smiled before getting in the elevator to go ahead and make sure that all of James's stuff looked like he had been living in the guest room.

I was fishing through my Gucci for my keys as I got out of the elevator, and I hurried my pace in my heels to get to the apartment.

But then I gasped and dropped my keys.

Eh.

Ma.

Gawd.

Was that…?

"Alicia?"

The girl looked back to me, sobbing.

This-this couldn't be Alicia.

Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail that looked like it was about to fall out. Her shorts had some weird stain on it (baby formula?), and her sweater looked so bad that you would almost think it was her dad's or something.

Alicia was drop-dead gorgeous. She wore tight bandage dresses to show her curves, and her hair was perfectly shiny and styled.

But…but it was.

"Oh, um, hey," Alicia wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her black sweater, "I-I…"

Tears formed in her brown eyes, and she couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Olivia is," Alicia cried harder, not able to hold anything back, "Olivia is pregnant with Brandon's baby. And CeCe… CeCe tried to steal my chance to get into the dance school!"

She sobbed.

"That stupid Derrick was right… and I just didn't want to admit it!" Alicia kept going, "And-And I just had no one to go to. And I wanted… I wanted to come to you…"

As Alicia was about to try to explain everything, my eyes watered and I hugged her.

Alicia cried into the shoulder of my silk top, but I didn't care.

I had my Alicia back…

"You-You forgive me after everything I did?"

"I came to get my girls back," I hugged her tightly, and Alicia kept crying.

I was so happy.

Maybe I should have been mad about how what a bitch she had been. Or maybe I should hold it against her in some way.

But I didn't give a damn right now.

Right now, I was just happy to have my Alicia back.

"I am so sorry, Mass. I am so sorry for everything I did. I've been a total bitch."

"Yeah, you kind of have," I laughed, and Alicia looked at me.

"I-I just wanted to be like you. An alpha," Alicia looked down, "And I got so wrapped up in it. For two years, my best friend was taking dance classes, and I had no clue for crying out loud. She's pretty good, too…"

Alicia and I let out a small laugh, and I held out my pinky.

"Pretty Committee girls stay together forever, right?"

"For-evah," Alicia hooked her pinky around mine, trying her hardest to smile and be fun right now.

But I didn't blame her for the smile being weak.

I had a melt-down when I lost James.

But losing my best friend and finding out that she was trying to ruin my future and take it for herself? Having the boy I was in love with try to warn me but push him away? Then finding out that my best friend had an affair with my boyfriend and got pregnant with his baby?

I couldn't even imagine it…

I hugged her again, and Alicia kept crying.

"I have so much to tell you!" my eyes watered.

"Me, too."

"Come on. James's parents want to check up with him, and I can make some coffee."

"Coffee, I haven't slept in forever."

_**Dylan,**_

I sipped at my coffee and I stared at Alicia.

She didn't even look like the Alicia we knew.

And maybe that was better…

Seeing Alicia in a gorgeous outfit with her hair looking perfect and her skin flawless wouldn't have made it seem as true when she cried and begged for forgiveness.

Alicia Rivera had finally found her low.

Her rock bottom, the kind of thing that you saw in movies before the star found her groove again and came back a million times better.

And that made it believable when she told us that she regretted everything that she had done to us.

But I wasn't so sure that I would get begged for forgiveness.

I mean, I was dating her ex.

No, I was dating her infamous ex, the one who you remember for years. He had been her middle school boyfriend, and they had gotten back together in high school after spending a lot of time together with her being a cheerleader. But then he just left her, with what felt like no reason for her. Then to make even worse, he started dating her ex-best friend, claiming to be in love with her and even taking her to Prom.

If my ex had started dating Angela or something, I would wonder if there had been something going on.

No, I wouldn't have stalked Angela or been a bitch hell-bent on getting even. But I wouldn't have been happy either.

As Massie was on the phone with James, thinking of something to tell his parents about why she was going to be _Missing In Armani_ all day, Alicia caught me staring at her.

I looked back to my steaming cup of coffee, and she hesitantly stood from sitting with Bay, who she had been talking to four half an hour now.

Alicia smiled weakly at me, and she paused for a minute.

"I'm sorry, I just got jealous. I mean, he just left, and he went to you. And there was nothing I could do. Except that," Alicia blushed as she thought about all of the pictures she had sent Josh, trying to remind him of what he had missed out on or something.

"I get it. If my boyfriend left me and announced he was dating my ex-friend less than a month later, I would have thought something was going on before-hand. And I would have freaked out, too," I looked back to Alicia.

"No, no," Alicia shook her head, "He just loves you… And, well, he loved the memory of me. No, he was trying to love me. I was his ex, and we were one of those stories that people loved to hear in Cosmo or something. But then he found you… And I knew something was up. He wasn't as… _tolerant_ of me. He was so happy, and it wasn't because of me…"

Alicia shrugged.

"Then he actually left me, and that had never happened before. And you know, I could blame it on him. Say that he just wasn't ready for a committed relationship right now or something. But then I saw him with you, and you guys were so happy and giddy. And…" Alicia hesitated, like the next three words made her a little sick, "_in love._"

I stared at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Alicia shrugged, and I knew that she was lying.

Maybe we hadn't been friends for a while.

But I still knew her.

It must have been Derrington…

"Do you forgive me?" Alicia asked hopefully, and I smiled as I nodded.

"Yeah," I nodded, and Alicia let out a small smile.

"Hey, does Josh still have those green sneakers?"

"Yeah, they're horrible!"

"I know, right? I tried to throw them in the fire pit one time, but he caught me. So I had to pretend that I had been drinking and thought it was firewood!"

"I threw them in the ocean, and he jumped out of the boat and swam after them!"

"Ehmagawd! Him and that boat!"

"I know, right?"

_**Kristen,**_

It looked better to see Alicia back to herself.

We had all piled into Bay's giant Range Rover and gone to Alicia's house since Massie was pretending to have a 24 hour bug that she didn't want to give to James or his family. And we went to Alicia's house for the night.

She had gotten a shower with her regular beauty projects. Her shiny black hair was tied into a Katniss-Braid, and she had changed into her usual Alicia clothes, looking like the girl we had loved/hated for years.

Alicia's _Alice+Olivia_ sweater was new and fit her well. Her shorts showed off her long legs, and her ballet flats sank into the super-soft carpet in the home theater, where we had camped out. And she proudly wore her brand new diamond cuff, a present from her parents for getting to the finals of the dance auditions.

She had quickly become Old-Alicia, even ordering the same whole wheat, thin crust Hawaiian pizza that she used to love so much.

"So what's really up with you and Dempsey?" Alicia smiled as she took a bite of her pizza, and Layne smiled, nudging me.

"_Dempsey and Kristen sittin' in a tree_!" Layne sing-sang.

"I wish. I was going to tell him how I felt, but things have been going so crazy that I haven't gotten to talk to him," I leaned back onto the wall and took a big bite of my deep dish beef pizza that I was sharing with Massie, "Gawd, as if my summer wasn't insane enough, I've got Dempsey to worry about."

"What about soccer? Pro or no?" Alicia asked.

She had been trying to catch up on everything, and it was kind of cute.

But annoying right now.

"More like _don't know._ I have to call them soon though or the offer won't last…"

Alicia took that as the hint to back off.

"So, what about you and Cam?" Alicia asked as she looked to Claire, "The buzz is that you two are totally crushing."

Massie nudged her, and Claire burned bright red.

But she was determined to deny it.

"I am so _nawt_ crushing on him. He's giving CeCe another chance for Gawd's sake! I will never be able to compete with that bitch."

"What are you talking about? He basically told CeCe to _F Off_ and never bring her ass anywhere near him. He's done, and CeCe was convinced that it was because of you."

"H-he what?"

"Yeah, they met because she was trying to get him back because being branded _Guilty Slut_ isn't great for your social life and a hot affair cools when it becomes a regular relationship. But he wouldn't take her back. He said that he was really done this time. And CeCe went out for drinks and complained for hours about how she couldn't believe he wanted _Gummy Cuh-Laire_ when he could have _her_ or something," Alicia shrugged, "She was a total bitch about it."

Alicia seemed to like being able to tell us stuff for more than Gossip Points for Bay to keep score of.

It was amazing how much stuff she had built up that she never told anyone.

But I knew there was something she wasn't telling us.

Something major…

"Really?" Claire leaned back, shocked by the new information and thinking about Cam.

Maybe it seriously was like a romantic comedy for them.

Maybe this _could _be a story she told her kids when they were tired and wanted a bedtime story like she had babbled on about for years.

But then Layne opened her mouth…

"So, what's up with you and Derrick? I hear he's still hung up on you."

Everyone looked back to Layne, trying to stop ourselves from killing her.

We all knew not to bring up Derrick.

It was the silent rule that we didn't dare break.

Some things were better left unsaid.

And Derrick was that thing.

"No, he's never going to forgive me this time," Alicia seemed depressed about it as she looked down to her flats, "This is it for us. It's been… _entertaining_, I guess."

I looked to my alpha, as did the rest of the Click, and we silently willed her to ask her the question that we all had been wondering about since finding out about their time together.

"Why did you two break-up?"

Alicia hesitated.

"Has Derrick ever asked?"

Massie nodded.

Asked?

No, it had been driving him insane for the last two years.

But asking seemed nicer to tell an already depressed girl.

"Well, Derrick and I were all over each other when we dated," Alicia hesitated, "And Derrick and I used to joke about it, you know. He used to tease me that we should name the baby Harper and how he hoped it would have my brown eyes."

Alicia rolled her eyes, letting out a small laugh at him.

"But then I got home, and I was feeling sick. And all those jokes got to me, so I bought a test. My mom found it, and she got upset. She and my dad took me to get a real test at a doctor, and she told me it was positive."

We all gasped.

Did she…?

But Alicia shook her head.

"I was supposed to hide out in Spain, and I went to the doctor for my first sonogram. And I was finally getting excited," Alicia looked at her stomach, "You know, seeing its first words. Rocking it to sleep. Taking it to school. And I didn't care if I was too young or anything or if Derrick wouldn't be able to handle having a baby. I was just excited…But then my doctor in Westchester called and announced that she was wrong."

"Wrong?" Bay stared at her.

She had never heard this?

Alicia really didn't want anyone to know…

"Do you remember that song, _Love If Only for the Night_?"

Alicia Rivera, now Alicia Wilson after marrying a music producer and having his son (not exactly in that order), had gotten famous off of that. Back then, you thought of her every time you saw platform heels and every time you turned on _Dance Mix_ on your iPod.

Now, you thought of her when you saw Baby Couture or saw bright colored trench coats, which she had gone on about when on Dylan's mom's talk show because it was "just perfect for Mommy! It holds everything you need for a baby and doesn't stain either!"

"Yeah, well, Alicia went for her test at the same time I did at the same place. They got our tests mixed up and sent her home with a negative and me with a positive."

Alicia shrugged.

"It's not that bad, I guess. I was just looking forward to having that baby," Alicia pushed her hair behind her ear, "But I couldn't look at Derrick and tell him. And I couldn't look at him and not think about that baby we almost had…"

"Oh my God…" I trailed off.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Bay asked, and Alicia shrugged.

"I didn't want to talk about it."

Bay reached across and hugged her tightly.

"That's what friends are for."

"All of us," Massie smiled as she wrapped the two girls in a hug, too.

And we all smiled and laughed at ourselves as we all buried Alicia in a hug.

"Mates over Dates," Bay smiled.

"Bros over hos," Layne smirked.

"Sisters before misters," Claire smiled wide.

"A good friend would bail you out of jail, but your best friend would be the one sitting next to you saying _'da__mn that was awesome_," I laughed.

"Friends are Gods way of apologizing to us for our families," Dylan rolled her eyes at the thought of her family.

"Because of you... I laugh a little harder, cry a little less, and smile a little more," Massie smirked, "And buy a lot more aspirin."

_**Claire,**_

"Really?" I looked at myself in the mirror as I slid into Alicia's dress that she was letting me borrow.

I could fit into the size four but soo not into the D-Cup.

"Sorry, I forgot. I just remembered you were petite," Alicia smiled weakly as she handed me the jeans I had worn yesterday, "And you would look so good in that dress."

She pointed to the Calvin Klein light blue dress that she had tried to get me into.

And there was old Alicia.

Trying to get me in to better clothes, the best in her opinion.

"You just forgot how petite I am here," I motioned to my chest.

My B-Almost-A cups were the smallest of the entire clique.

Alicia let out a small laugh and nodded.

"So is that fake or what?" I motioned towards her D-Cups.

"This- fake," she pointed to her nose, "But these babies are real."

"Well," I shrugged as I slid into my jeans, and Alicia hesitantly handed me my hot pink tank top, letting it be known that she would _nev-ahh_ wear that, "I wasn't so lucky."

Alicia shrugged it off as she slid into her off-white Alice+Olivia dress, and she seemed to want to say something as she tied on her gladiator platform sandals, not in the mood to take forever to pick out a military chic outfit.

It's not like GG would get anything today.

Alicia had set a strict policy on herself to stay out of Gossip Girl's eye for a while.

She didn't want to have to face her humiliation right now.

_Buzzzzz._

The end table where I set my sidekick rattled the table as it vibrated with an alert, and I hurried over to the phone.

"Who's winning, by the way? I'm scared to death to check Gossip Girl," Alicia nervously ran her hand through her wavy black hair, and I shrugged.

"They shut down the viewing since the announcement is so soon."

Insanely soon actually.

The big party.

It was hard to imagine that it would all be over soon, that this summer would become a memory and that we would be off to even scarier things.

Growing up.

It felt like only yesterday that we had gotten the text from Massie saying that she was back.

And now look at us.

Massie has broken up with James, almost hooked up with Derrington, got back together with James, and gotten the PC back together like she said she would.

And I've gone from LBR without a hope to cool in the blink of an eye. I dated _the_ Erik Gomez, who everyone has been lusting over for years. And I broke his heart by sleeping with Cam… And I broke Cam's heart by running away.

When did I become the one breaking hearts instead of the one with a broken heart?

"I guess the _itGirls_ will continue on without me. They'll probably get that ho April that they wanted to join before to take my place as third _itGirl_," Alicia still seemed to get a little sick when she thought about her ex-best friends, "Probably get more votes now that the bitch is gone."

I let out a small laugh.

Though we had all been friends, Alicia and I hadn't been really close.

But we were friends.

And I could tell that it was the same arrangement as it had been before.

"So, what's up with the Dance thing?"

"It's tomorrow," Alicia sighed, "I'm going to lose it. I don't…"

Alicia paused to call back on something.

"_Dance with my heart! Dance with my soul! Find myself and find my dance!_" Alicia rolled her eyes, "I have less than twenty four ours to _find my dance._ Or I'm stuck in Westchester. And then I'm off to some polo-prep college to become a lawyer or something. Or _worse_. _Trophy wife and stay-at-home mother."_

"Twenty four hours?"

"_Less_ than twenty-four hours. I haven't even picked out music," Alicia moaned.

I hesitated.

"Well, maybe we could do something."

Alicia stared at me.

"You said you needed to find yourself to find your dance?"

"Yeah," Alicia kept staring.

"Well, who knows you better than us all?"

Alicia seemed hesitant, and I kept going.

"Listen, we can try to help you. Or you can just give up and give your dream life to CeCe."

"Wow," Alicia let out a small smile, "Claire got _harsh._"

"So you're in?"

"I might as well be."

_**So, I know that Alicia got adopted in really fast and suddenly everything is okay, but it's been leading up to this so long that I thought I might as well skip the hesitance. And for the wait, sorry. I have a cold, and I've been in bed most of the weekend.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! God, it really is winding down. It feels weird, you know?**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**Alicia,**_

"You'll be fine."

I looked back to Bay, who sat at the driver's wheel of the Range Rover.

I had always thought that she was a less-hot version of CeCe.

But now I saw that she was actually beautiful, CeCe 2.0.

No wonder CeCe didn't want her in the group.

Bay's skin was a light tan, like a gentle glow. Her long black hair was piled into a bun behind her head, and she wore only concealer and a little blush. There was a logo for a camp that she had gone to with Griffin, when she fell head over heels for him, on her tee shirt, and her dark wash jean shorts showed off her legs. And she had borrowed a pair of Kristen's neon Nikes to hang out with Griffin at the park, which we all teased her might be the time that they finally admitted that they had been in love with each other for years.

For once, I didn't feel threatened by her beauty.

And I liked the way that felt.

"Fine isn't exactly what I want to go for."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No one can stay," I shook my head, "You can only sit in the waiting room."

"Well, I'll be right in. I have to call Griff real quick. But I promise I will be there for you."

"Thanks, Bay," I smiled, and I looked back to the BADASS studios, where the auditions were being held.

_Here goes nothing,_ I told myself.

No not nothing.

My entire life.

My future.

That life I had in my head.

It could just vanish if I didn't dance well enough.

No, it wouldn't _vanish_.

It would still be there, but it would be there for _CeCe_.

I made a silent prayer that, if she got this spot, she would get pregnant by her second year.

Not that it would be stretch for me to believe that possible even without the prayer…

"Good luck, Leesh," Bay smiled.

I nodded as I adjusted my boots and opened the car door, taking a deep breath before getting out of the car.

I had hidden my costume, with a black trench coat, and I had saved my ballet slippers with a pair of rain boots, not wanting to hurt the gentle silk. But I loved how it would make CeCe wonder what I was going to do.

Even if I didn't do as well as her, I wanted to scare her.

I hurried into the studio, and I left my boots in the coat room, where I had more fun that I would like to admit. But I tightened the belt on my trench coat instead of sliding out of it, strutting to the waiting room where CeCe was waiting.

I had to admit that she looked kind of good.

Her honey blonde hair was tied into an urban side-bun with braids. She went without tights, which didn't surprise me, and her black ballet shoes hadn't seen much use. Her lips were lips were ruby red, and she matched them with a pair of ruby studs. And her leotard was revealing.

It only had one sleeve, and the other sleeve was sheer. There was a stripe connecting the top and bottom of the leotard, with sheer pieces to say that her body was covered. It wasn't showing too much or anything, but I knew CeCe well enough to know that she had tried.

She stared at the trench coat with a gloating smile.

"Gave up already, Duh-Licia?"

"Grow up, Cecelia. What are you? _Thirteen_?"

She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, having nothing to respond with.

I looked back to my cell phone, and I began to wish that I hadn't uninstalled the Gossip Girl App because I was scared of what would be said about me. I suddenly wanted to know what my little bitch of an ex-best friend had been doing without guidance and how my slut of an ex-best friend was fairing with the baby along for the ride.

_I hope she has the worst morning sickness ever and pukes out every appletini she has ever had, _I mentally grumbled, _And I hope that Brandon makes her gain weight for the baby!_

I hurried to the desk, where a young dance student was acting as a receptionist, and I handed her a personally made CD.

"It's the only track," I didn't want to mention my choice in front of CeCe.

"I chose _Down Town Girl_," CeCe boasted.

"I didn't," I shrugged, and CeCe frowned that I didn't blab all about my routine.

She would have to try harder than _that._

Something beeped in the receptionist's ear, and she nodded quickly, swallowing her strong mint gum.

"They're ready for you now," the girl looked down to her clip-board to find the names, "Cecelia Peterson is to dance first."

We followed in, and CeCe smiled wide as she shimmed into the room, where I was sat down on the plush couches where the moms were supposed to sit while their kid danced their heart out.

I remembered it well. This was where my mom used to sit, talking on the phone with her friends and chewing on Luna bars. When we were done, she would hang up the phone and smile wide as she praised me, _"Maravilloso! Bebé Maravilloso!"_

As the music began to pound to Downtown Girl, CeCe's pageant smile formed, and she began her ballet mixed in with the dances we had perfected in clubs.

I crinkled my nose as I noticed her signature move that they were so impressed with had been the move I invented during our last Spring Break in Monte Carlo.

_You can do better than this,_ I told myself.

And I prayed I was right.

When the music faded out, CeCe ended her dance in a split that she learned on the cheerleading team, and her smile was proud. She was sure she was going to win, leaving her old Alpha in the rearview mirror to cry her fake eyelashes out.

Puh-Lease.

Get this Beta out of my way.

Bea smiled as she motioned for me to begin, and CeCe smiled as she came to sit beside me on the couch.

"Beat that."

"Glady," I smirked as I dropped my trench coat to the floor.

For good luck, I had borrowed my best friend's color, and I was happy with it.

Massie had bestowed her Prom dress to me and told me I could do whatever I wanted with it. With Claire sewing as I practiced in the dance studio, the dress had been turned into a leotard with the sheer purple-blue tulle still billowing around me. It still didn't have straps, and we had a time turning the C-cups into D-Cups, though it hadn't been impossible.

With body glitter, they had made me look like a fairy, and I had been determined to show that I was more of a _Puck_ than a _Tinkerbelle_. And my mom had taken out my priceless _Dance _necklace that my mom had given me for my first recital, my favorite thing, and she had worked it into my braided bun. My lips were light pink, and I had bought Aztec-printed fake nails for Bay to help me apply only an hour ago while I was being forced to eat breakfast after barely eating for so long.

CeCe's jaw dropped, and I was proud as I walked to the center of the dance floor, waiting for the Natasha Bedingield song that I had chosen to play through the speakers.

It had been the song that Massie and I used to sing repeatedly over the drive to the mall, and she had suggested it, making us laugh. But I had gone with it.

As _Touch _began to play, Bea's eyes widened and a smile widened.

Dance with the Soul.

Find yourself and find your dance.

And I did…

All thanks to a girl named Massie Block.

I let myself zone into the dance, a mixture of classic ballet, pop moves from music videos, and the gymnastics that I had gotten through Cheerleading.

As the last few notes played, I gently eased into the end of the dance with a slow flip, bowing for effect as the music ended.

I smiled as I looked back to CeCe, who was gasping.

And I silently told my Beta the thing I most wanted her to here.

_Kiss my perfectly-toned ass._

_**Massie,**_

"So we're booked correct?" I asked hopefully as I tapped on my black stilletos on the hardwood floor. James parents were suffering from jetlag and planned on spending the day in bed, and James and I had been happy to have time together.

We had been even more lovey-dovey after our short break-up.

But we hadn't really gotten a chance to be as sweet as we wanted to.

"Wonderful!" I smiled wide.

I had other places I could through the party, but I really wanted one place.

And I was worried it would be booked or that it would be impossible for me to book it.

"Okay, so I will be over tomorrow morning to figure out how to set everything up. Is that alright?"

The woman on the other line told me a time that I would be able to come, and I wrote it down on a purple post it, putting it on the fridge and making a spare note on the coffee machine.

"I'll see you then," I smiled as I ran a hand through my curls, and the woman let out a quick goodbye before hearing the click to tell me that she had hung up.

Putting my cell phone in the charger, I was proudly smiling as I kicked off my heels and ran over to the couch, wrapping my arms around James neck as I planted a big kiss on his perfect lips.

"What's up with you?" James smiled as he pushed my hair out of my eyes, not moving as if to warn me that he was about to kiss me again.

"The party has been booked. The band has their flights ready. The caterer has agreed, and my dress is back from the cleaners," I smiled as I sat down on the couch, and I curled up around him with a smile, taking in the sweet signature smell of aftershave and fabric softener that I knew James as.

"I thought this was Alyssa's job," James moved to look me in the eyes.

"It _is_ Alyssa's job, and I thought she was doing it. But she hasn't done a thing, leaving me to do to it."

"Am I ever going to have time with you? When this is all over, I'm in PreMed classes and living with Robin. And you're with Dylan. Can't we just lock the doors and pretend that we broke our phones?"

"Next summer, I promise. No Clique wars. No business. You and me by a beach somewhere."

"You shouldn't have said that, Massie. Now, I'll hold you to it."

"Hold me to it, please hold me to it. No matter what I say, just hold me to it."

"Are you alright, Queen Bee?" he stared at me with a puzzled look in his bright blue eyes.

"I just don't want this summer next year."

"Really? You don't want to tear apart a town and change your friends lives forever, uncovering secrets that no one wanted to think about again. Oh, and us breaking up?"

"Strangely enough, I _don't_ want that."

"Weird, huh?" James kissed my neck, and I moaned, tugging at his ancient tee shirt that I had tried to get rid of.

I thought about throwing the tee shirt _'accidentally'_ in the trash or out the window.

But I didn't even get a chance to get it off of him.

As my phone began to ring, James tightened his grasp on me.

"Don't get it," he whispered, and I tried.

I really did.

But I suddenly started wondering.

Was it Alicia? Had they gotten back to her yet?

Was it Dylan? Had something happened on her three day vacation on the boat with Josh?

Was it Derrington? Was it James's mother?

Was it _my_ mother?

Was it… _Alyssa_?

I reached for the phone, and I peeked my eyes open to see the caller ID.

I moaned but not because of James.

I pulled away, and James's blue eyes widened with shock that I was pulling away.

"I am so sorry, so sorry," I gave him a quick peck on the lips, "Just give me one moment, I promise."

I quickly accepted the call, and James continued to stare at me like I was insane.

"What do you mean? You said that you would do it!"

The band manager kept going on, and I felt like murdering him.

"Wait, his month-a-versary! Are you kidding me?"

He kept going.

"Oh no, put him on the phone," I reached for my wallet, where I still had my KISS ID, "I'm not a crazy fan girl. I'm Massie Block. You want proof? Fine."

I snapped a picture of my KISS ID, and I patiently waited until the man quickly apologized.

"I am so sorry, Ms. Block. They will be on their flight. I am so sorry. I didn't know you were _that _Massie Block."

I made a mental thanks to Skye Hamilton.

Maybe we weren't close.

But she got me in the media's eye. And that got me to my summer internship with Jae Wellington, _the_ Jae Wellington, as her party planner.

And, when you've got Jae Wellington on your resume, you can do just about anything in Europe.

Including getting the major current Boy-Band at your party.

"Resolve this, Damon. Now, if you will excuse me, I've got to go."

_**Kristen,**_

Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I laced up my Nikes and tried not to think of Dempsey.

Of all times, now was the time that he went on a camping trip with his brothers!

Reason told me that it made sense. He was going off to college soon, under a business major to take over his father's eco-friendly company. And he helped raise these little kids. Of course he wants to get in some quality time with them before he gets in his car and drives off.

But my heart was a different story.

Was this a sign?

I mean, was fate just completely against us?

There had been a million things trying to end this, and maybe I was just being naive and ignored it, blaming it on bad luck.

Maybe we're not one of those couples who get back together.

Maybe we're just supposed to have our closure and walk away, even if it hurts like hell.

It's been a summer, and nothing has happened…

He may love me, and I may love him.

But is that enough? Or is all of this craziness a warning to step back before it really hurts?

I didn't know, and I didn't have much time left…

But I didn't want to think about it anymore.

"Hey, I'm going for a jog. If anyone calls, tell them I'll call them later!" I yelled out to my cousin as I came down the stairs.

I knew no one would call, but I didn't want to come in and have her sitting at the kitchen table, ready for an inquisition about where I was and who I was with.

"Kristen?"

I froze.

Eh.

Ma.

Gawd.

I hesitantly turned around and there she was.

Her blonde bob was crisp and newly colored. Her striped tee shirt hung loosely on her thin frame, and her jeans looked like they might have come out of my closet. With her initials monogrammed into the fabric, she proudly wore Keds, and a Tori Birch hung on her arm.

"Mom?"

She smiled and hurried towards me, wrapping me up in a hug.

"Were you going out?" my mom looked at my workout-wear, which I wore as regular clothes before Massie came back.

"Just for a jog. What are you going here? I thought you weren't getting in for another week."

"I wasn't. But I wanted to surprise you!"

Definitely surprised.

"So? What did you choose, Darling?"

I took a deep breath.

"Do you want some coffee?"

My mother accepted, and I took my time making two cups of coffee and sitting down at the kitchen table with her, looking out to the grounds of my Aunt's mansion.

Back in Florida, my mom got a townhouse near my training sight, and most of our money sat untouched in a bank account. Every year, my mom and I would rent a mansion by the beach somewhere for a month. But then we would be back for training.

Training had been my entire life.

I knew I didn't want that.

But I didn't want to give up soccer entirely.

Not yet.

One day, I would be fine with it. I would leave, get married, and have a kid or two.

For now though, I was in the game.

But not entirely…

"I took the offer in New York," I was afraid that, if I didn't say it now, I would never say it.

"Wait, New York wanted you? Why did you tell me Kris-Mas?"

"Well-"

"That's great! This team is amazing, and the boarding is great. You will meet amazing girls-"

"Mom, no."

"What?" my mother stared at me, and I hesitated.

"I took the job. But I have a place in the city. With my friends, Bay and Layne. It's not far from the training sight, about half-an-hour. And soccer isn't going to be my entire life, alright? I am going to have friends who don't play sports. And I am going to start taking classes in two years. And I am going to date. I gave up my life for the sport, and I am not going to do it again."

"Gave up your life? This is what you wanted."

"I made that choice when I was _fourteen_. And it has ruled my life since. Mom, teenage girls are supposed to be shopping for Prom Dresses during their last semester of high school! _Nawt_ shopping for job offers!"

"So I'm the bad guy?"

"I had the flu, and you had me out practicing in the backyard because they wouldn't let me in!"

"Kristen, I tried to protect your future."

"But what about me? What about normal? What about fun?"

"I didn't want you to end up like me!"

Regret flooded her eyes, and I shrank back.

"What?"

"Listen, I love you, Kristen. But I had dreams, too," my mom looked to her coffee, "I was Pre-Med, you know. I had this amazing future ahead of me. And then I met your father, and we got married when we graduated. And then I found out that I had a baby on the way…. So I pulled out of Medical School, saying I would go back when you were older. When you were three, I took some nursing classes to honestly fill the time."

My mom hesitated.

"Then your dad lost all of our money. Suddenly, everything I had was gone. No expensive clothes. No extravagant parties. No house at the Country Club. Then I lost your dad… Suddenly, I was a broke single mom working all of the time just to provide. And I didn't want that to happen to you, Kristen. I wanted you to follow your dreams. To be that big-time soccer star. Because I didn't. I love you," my mom squeezed my hand, "But I always wondered what would have happened if I hadn't lost sight of my dreams."

I stared at my mother, dumfounded.

So that was it?

All of it.

She made me regret four years of my life so that I wouldn't grow up with regrets…

"I get it, Mom. But this isn't your choice. It's mine, and I made it."

My mom nodded, and I smiled as I leaned across the tbale to hug her.

It felt better that we had just talked it out I guess.

"Hey, want some sushi? Our favorite place is still open."

"Sounds wonderful. I could have some Sake. I think I have some jet lag."

_**Dylan,**_

"So, you're driving into the city tomorrow?"

"And you're going in next week," Josh pointed out, trying to calm me.

Josh was almost all packed up for his apartment with James in the city, and it had hurt in some way to help him pack.

To remember our six months together and to see things from his year with Alicia. And to see stuff from before we even knew him.

Massie had almost lost her mind packing up James's stuff, making sure that he left some stuff unpacked so that he wouldn't go ahead and move into the city while she was in Party-Planning mode. But she had his mother to be the crying one.

Josh's mother was happy for him. He would only be an hour or so away, and she was honestly ready to turn his room into an extended closet. Besides, she had his little sister stuck in the house for the next two years.

James's parents lived across an ocean, and he was their only child, unless you include his cousins who were raised honestly as his siblings.

So, to Josh, I was the crying girl.

"When do you think you'll move in?" I tried to remain normal-looking as I pulled my green dress over my bikini and checked my cell phone to see if I had signal yet.

Our three-day long weekend on the boat was dragging to a close, and I wished I could have spent some time with my family.

But my mom was getting ready for her wedding next month in Fiji. Drew was in the middle of her between-seasons make-over, going for New York socialite glam this time, and she was in the city so often that I doubted that I wouldn't see her much. And Ryan is planning her super-amazing baby shower.

"The plan is to move in next week, before school starts and everything," Josh shrugged.

"But will you really move in then?"

Josh turned back and smiled at me.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

I playfully hit Josh's head.

"Hey, don't mess with the driver."

"We're in the ocean without anyone around us. We're fine."

"We could capsize."

"Life boat."

"Sudden storm."

"No cloud in the sky."

"Crazy whale?"

"Crazy whale?" I repeated, crossing my arms and staring at Josh.

"There is no telling."

"It's more likely that _Ryan_ would swim out here and kill us from her crazy pregnancy hormones."

Josh stuck out his tongue at me, and I rolled my eyes.

Josh had felt a little weird about me becoming friends with Alicia after everything that had happened with us. I understood, of course.

But I also understood what she was talking about.

I mean, her boyfriend had been acting weird for a while. Suddenly, things that had never bothered him before drove him insane. He was rarely around, and he suddenly left her. Then a few weeks later, he announced that he was dating her ex-best friend.

But then I also understood that she had been a total bitch.

"So how much longer do we have?" I smiled as I wrapped my arms around him and rested my chin on his shoulder, looking out to the ocean.

"Not long."

I kissed his cheek, and Josh smiled.

"So, what are you doing when we get back?"

"Home," I shrugged, "Shopping with the girls later, I guess."

I kissed where his chin met his neck.

"What about you?"

"Packing."

I kissed his neck, and Josh melted into me.

"Are you sure you want to pack?" I kissed lower on his neck.

"Hmm," Josh closed his eyes, and I kissed his collarbone.

"Or that you want to go into the city?"

But then his phone chimed.

I moaned.

_Perfect timing for signal…_

"That'll be my sister. Can you get it?" Josh seemed to snap out of it, and I resisted the urge to moan again.

"Sure," I started towards his cell phone in the charger, and I rolled my eyes.

_**Claire,**_

I bit into my gummies nervously as Massie was on the phone with the cater.

"Where are they?" Bay asked, looking at her cell phone.

Since she had the biggest car, we asked her if she would drive us to go pick up Strawberry and Quinn from the airport.

We had plans on going for pizza with Quinn and Strawberry and giving them well needed wine after such a long flight to New York from London. Since their stuff for their new apartments wouldn't get here for another week, they had made plans to stay in Westchester for a week.

And then Massie broke out into a smile, hanging up the phone and waving someone towards us.

"Strawberry! Quinn!"

Two girls hurried towards us, smiling wide.

"Mass!" the brunette smiled, with a pure British accent.

"New York!" the one with strawberry hot pink hair waved, with a twist of French added to her British accent.

The brunette was beautiful.

Her long brown hair was braided down her back, showing off her owl stud earrings. Her tee shirt had _London _written in block letters that showed off her curves, and her loose jeans fit her well. She carried her computer bag on her side, and her sneakers had her name written in Sharpie everywhere.

And the girl with hot pink hair?

She was a sight.

Her hot pink bob was cut sharp and perfectly for her, and she had one side pushed behind her ear to show her diamond studs. She didn't have her blazer buttoned, showing a tee shirt for the Beatles, and her shorts showed off her long legs and her hot pink sneakers.

"Strawberry!" Massie smiled wide as Strawberry ran to hug her tightly.

"Ohma-Buh-loody-gawd, Mass! You and Doc are good, right? If he did something again-"

"We're fine, Strawberry."

"Wait, you're Quinn Rock?"

"You've read _Teen Spirit_?"

"Yeah, but I really think _Of All Ages_ is your best work."

"You read _Of All Ages_? You're, like, one of the four people in the world who _actually_ read that book."

As Bay and Quinn carried on, Strawberry motioned towards me.

"Ehmagawd! I am so sorry!" Massie blushed, "Claire, this is Strawberry. Well, Penelope Auburn."

"Auburn? Like Bella Auburn?"

"My mum."

Bella Auburn, known as one of the best singers of our time and now the best composer.

I remembered how my mother had been upset about Bella moving to England and ending her career for a while. After a horrible divorce, Bella picked up her life and twins, Penny and Zachary, to England to start over.

"You're _that _Penelope Auburn?"

"Yeah, I came to NYU this year to study directing. Zachary is Oxford this year. Mum's freaking out. Do you have any siblings?"

"A little brother, Todd."

"Our little annoyance turned hottie Lacrosse star," Massie nudged Strawberry, "Like Zachary."

"Rugby. Remember? That was how we met. James and Zach were mates," Strawberry nudged her back.

"Hey, who wants pizza?"

"I'm a vegan," Strawberry reminded Quinn.

"You had pizza yesterday. And you had burgers with us last week," Quinn crossed her arms.

"Us? As in the mystery boy?" Massie winked.

"Nah, it was just Robin. No one too special."

Quinn rolled her eyes.

"He would murder you if he heard you say that."

"I say it all the time," Strawberry shrugged, flipping her hot pink bob.

"Come on. Let's go get pizza."

"I'm a vegan!"

"Let's go get burgers."

"That sounds wonderful," Strawberry smiled, and Massie rolled her eyes, "I'm starving!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Alicia's outfit and CeCe's outfit are on Polyvore as well. <strong>_

_**The next chapter should be the party.**_

_**I can't believe this is really ending! It feels so weird…**_

_**Anyway, I am thinking about writing another Clique story. It'll be later, but I think I am going to do it.**_


	29. The Beginning of the End of the Summer

_**Massie,**_

"Now, remember, the stage has to be right where this table was," I pointed to a picture on my ipad of the table that the PC had made claims on when we first got to OCD.

It was amazing how the school had barely changed but felt so different.

It felt different because they had new Alphas.

New fights. New boy drama. New Friday night sleepovers to make up everything. And new shopping sprees to relax them after a big blow-out with their Alpha or Beta.

In just a week even, there would be a new alpha parading around in her best Prada with her best girls by her side to rule OCD.

I thought back to my first year when I came into the lunch room for the first time. I almost went into fashion-overload after having to wear those icky uniforms for so long, and I almost lost my nerve. But I refused to become Beta again.

So, I marched in the school in my cutest leather ankle-boots and my hottest Gucci tote, and I had my fashionable friends behind me. It took me an entire week to rule OCD as the unquestionable leader, stealing away from some girl who wore way to much pink.

It was weird to think that it was over.

All of it.

Not just my time at OCD.

But my time at KISS, too.

I remembered my first day there perfectly. With James on my side, it was obvious that I would become Alpha, even if I did have to wear the uniform. I had to have my uniforms taken in to fit me better, and I happily walked into the school with my Chanel on one arm and James on the other.

Then he introduced me to our friends, and, suddenly, I didn't care as much about whether people accepted my rule or not. I preferred laughing with my friends at lunch instead of starting rumors, and I usually dressed cute for James, not so that I could stay Alpha.

And now this summer was ending.

What would I find in New York?

In this new life that I was starting?

I knew I could take NYC by storm, but what came after that?

I wasn't sure, and I didn't like not knowing. Somewhere inside, it scared me.

Here, I knew who I was. I knew that my girls were by my side. I knew that James was mine, and I knew that I was the luckiest girl in the world.

But, a few months ago, everything was different…

"Yes, Mam," the men began working on the stage, and I looked back to my party planner, Sienna Beau, Maggie's mom.

"When is the band getting here?" Sienna asked in her Italian accent.

Maggie looked like a younger version of her mother. Sienna was party-planner to the stars, who married southern businessman, Jackson Beau. Three years after their super-amazing wedding, they had a daughter named Victoria, who just graduated Berkley and got engaged. Two years later, they had a son named Lucas, who was following in his father's footsteps. And then they had Maggie.

Everyone knew the story, and Sienna had spent years and money trying to look as young as her daughter, but it had only shaved two years off her age.

"They got in last night," I smiled, not telling her just who was playing.

I didn't want her to accidentally _release_ it to get business because she got them at her event.

"They're sleeping off some jet lag," I smiled apologetically, "Long flight. I got the on the phone earlier though. They'll be here in a few hours. I'm going to go pick them up."

"Who are they again?" Sienna asked hopefully.

"Old friends. We knew each other in high school."

Sienna was disappointed that I was keeping it such a secret, but I didn't care.

"Can you refresh me on the plan?" Sienna asked, and I brought out my _Galaxy X III_, a gift from James.

I brought out my stylus and pressed a few buttons, emailing my schedule to Sienna.

Sienna brought out her iPhone and looked through.

"So, for two hours, you'll be getting ready?" Sienna stared at me as if I was being a selfish bitch.

I was calming my anger to not remind her that I was paying her and that she needed to get back to work when someone tapped on my shoulder.

"Massie? Can I speak to you?"

There it was.

_Alyssa._

And her sickly, fake New Yorker accent.

I slowly turned around to look at her, and I forced myself to smile.

"Of course, Alyssa."

Alyssa's hair had just been dyed honey blonde and was fashioned into the updo that she would probably wear tonight. Her _Rag and Bone_ suit fit her petite body well, and her heels added well-needed height. And her lips were a cherry-red that looked like Dylan went she had that cherry-diet.

But I wasn't looking at Alyssa.

I was looking at _CeCe._

She looked like she had just come back from the spa, and she probably had.

Her hair was newly touched-up, and it had been put into a swirly up-do. Her shorts reminded me of the boyshorts I wore to bed instead of shorts I wore around, and her sandals looked almost impossible to get out of. Her skin was shiny from a quick facial, and her spray tan hadn't dulled to look natural yet.

I crinkled my nose at the sight of her, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Before the final votes go in, you have to show your changes in _the Click_."

"What?"

"They may want to change their votes if they know about… _certain changes_."

I stared at Alyssa, my anger bubbling over.

"By _certain changes_, you mean Alicia."

"It's not just Alicia. It is April, too, the new member of the _itGirls_."

"So what? You'll take away our old votes?"

"No," Alyssa stared at me as if I was being a difficult child, but I didn't care.

I was pissed.

"We will show the new clique members before final voting."

I crossed my arms and stared at her.

"This was CeCe's idea, wasn't it?"

"CeCe _did _bring this up to me. But that doesn't matter. You're both doing it. Have your cliques ready at seven."

Alyssa nodded goodbye to both of us before leaving, but CeCe didn't leave.

We waited until she was out of earshot before opening our mouths.

"Scared?" CeCe sneered, and I rolled my eyes.

"Look who's talking. You and I both know you brought that up to her because you didn't want to lose."

"You just know you'll lose now that _the bitch_ is on your side."

"No, the bitch is standing in front of me. Or are you the slut? I can't remember."

"Wow, is that all you've got? I remember you having _all_ the comebacks in middle school."

"See? That's our difference. I graduated from middle school. _You didn't."_

"Are you saying I'm stupid?"

"No, you're an evil genius. I'm telling you to _grow up_."

"Bitch."

"Whore."

I was two seconds away from bitch-slapping CeCe right back to hell when Sienna quickly broke us apart.

"Massie! Which room did you want as your dressing room and which as the itGirls?"

I turned back to Sienna.

I made a silent thank you for her annoying ways, and I smiled goodbye to CeCe.

"Your dressing room is in room 204," I walked over to Sienna, and CeCe narrowed her eyes at me as I left.

_**Alicia,**_

"Who are these boys?" I asked as I impatiently tapped my foot.

I wasn't even close to being ready, and I refused to make my last real appearance in Westchester not looking the best I have ever looked.

"They're old friends. Relax, Alicia. We'll make it," Massie reached for a flute of Champaign and smiled her perfect smile as she handed me a glass.

"Why are we hiding them, hmm?" I asked as the bubbly began to go to my head.

"Because," Massie shrugged with that devilish smile that told me she had a big secret.

But I wasn't really thinking about this.

I was thinking about CeCe.

"So, CeCe seriously called _you_ a whore?"

"Calling the kettle black, eh?"

I laughed, and Massie's smile widened as she waved to someone.

"Come on. I've got someone I want you to meet. You _are_ single, right?"

"Yeah," I answered hesitantly, not sure what my friend was up to.

"Then come on. Just remember that Liam is taken."

"Liam? Wait, did you get-?"

"Mass."

"Liam," Massie set her Champaign flute on the table and stood just in time for a guy to wrap her up in a hug.

"God, it's been forever since we've seen you."

"Thanks for coming. I know it's a little petty, but-"

"Hey, this got me out of a weekend at my girlfriend's parent's place. I'm so cool with this."

I was frozen, sitting in a big arm chair and holding a glass of Champaign.

Eh.

Ma.

Gawd.

"Hey, this is my best friend, Alicia," Massie smiled, motioning for me to stand, and I looked to the boys one more time.

Then I looked to my alpha.

"How? How on freakin' earth do you do it?"

Massie smiled proudly.

"Jealous?"

"Hell yeah. You got _One Direction_ to end your summer. I have a pair of painful heels and my little sister's crying in the morning to greet a hang-over."

I heard a bunch of cute little English chuckles, but one stuck out.

Now, I was a strict club-music girl.

But everyone has a crush on at least one guy from One Direction.

And my secret crush was Zayn.

I felt my heart skip a beat, and Massie looked to her cell phone.

"Hey, Sweetie," Massie smiled as she picked up her drink, and Liam went back to talk to his band, "James, I did not forget to pick up your shirts from the drycleaners. You told me like a million times. I know they close in an hour."

Massie hurriedly looked at her watch and mouthed a curse.

"Baby, I have to go. Just picked up the guys. Love you," Massie kissed the phone before hanging up and putting it in her pack pocket.

Liam smirked.

"You forgot his shirts, huh?"

"Just for that, Liam Payne, you are driving with me to the cleaners. And, for laughing, Niall you might have to ride with me, too, because Alicia may not have room for you in the car."

"We could throw him in the trunk," Harry suggested, and Niall rolled his eyes.

"Come on. Bay said she was picking up pizza and bringing it for us," Massie quickly put a red beanie and a black scarf around Liam, making him glare at her.

While Liam complained about how it would just bring attention to him instead of hiding him, Massie nudged me.

"Or she's just picking up the pizza boy."

We laughed as we walked out to the parking lot, where the boys piled into my BMW, and Massie pulled me aside.

"You know he's coming, right?"

I knew who she was talking about even without the way she whispered and looked at me like I was that girl.

The one who stared at pictures of her with her ex for hours. The one who had a mad fit and threw out everything that was his but regretted it when the anger passed. The one who people whisper about and shake their head at, saying how sad it is that such an amazing girl became so hollow.

I was that girl.

I was open to change, I prayed for it.

But I was still that girl now.

I just didn't think anyone knew.

I thought they thought that, when I became vibrant again thanks to Massie, no one would notice that I still had something hollow in me.

"I guessed it."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Sure. I'm fine, Mass. This was _two years_ ago. That's one-ninth of my life."

She knew I was lying, but there wasn't much she could do.

"By the way, Zayn's single," Massie smirked as she nudged me, and I rolled my eyes as we parted ways, each to our own cars with our own _One Direction_ boys.

_**Kristen,**_

As Layne put in my extensions, using the procession she used to get ready for her own shoes, where she usually paraded around in shoes that were too high and hair that was too long, she smacked her gum and shook her head at Alicia.

"No remorse over Brandon, eh?"

To make sure that Sienna didn't screw anything up, Massie put cameras up and had it streamed to her macbook.

She was out there now, walking around in a button-up and her baggy pajama bottoms, with her hair in curlers, and no one gave her disrespect.

Even like this, she looked great…

Am I jealous?

Yes.

_Very._

"Not everyone can be as true as you are to Baze."

Bazil was her best friend from Music School. Everyone knew that they were in love with each other. Everyone but _them._

"You're forgetting that I am the one holding the dye, Kristen."

I raised my hand in surrender, and Layne's fast fingers kept working on my hair as I stared at the screen.

As Alicia waited for the hot rollers to turn her newly straightened hair into voluminous curls we knew her for, she had gone to help Massie and to get away from the strong smell of burning hair and skin as Claire tried her hardest not to burn herself before Jakob stepped in and began on her. When she got there, the band was taking a quick break while Niall went back to the hotel to grab something.

So, she and Zayn started talking.

That was thirty minutes ago.

And they were still flirting.

I was jealous of her.

That she could move on that fast.

I knew she still had something for Derrington, but time would heal her wounds. Well, that and a new super-cutie to call her beau.

I just couldn't give up.

I desperately tried, but it hurt me to think that things could be over for me and Dempsey.

After everything we went through, this was how it ended…

Me packing up and leaving for soccer again.

Maybe that was the part that hurt most of all.

"So, are you nervous to go on tonight?" I asked Layne, looking away from the screen and to my hot pink nails that weren't dry yet.

Layne had been asked to perform her new song, _Supposed to Say._

She wrote it a year ago, and it was a hit on youtube and through the local scene. But Layne wanted more.

So, with a One Direction boy singing the male lead, she was performing it.

We were all scared for Layne since this was her big chance, but she had shown no sign of fear since she first signed up for the project.

"No way. I'm only a little worried that he won't be able to carry it like Baze does. But _I'm_ fine," Layne finally finished curling my hair to match my extensions, and she sprayed the strong hair spray once again, making me cough for air.

I blew on my hot pink nails.

"Are you scared for tonight?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, hoping that we were thinking about different things.

"Dempsey. Saying goodbye or, well, doing whatever you're going to do."

"I'll be fine, Layne, just like you," I told her as I looked at my dress hanging on the wall next to all of the others.

We had set up stations.

There was the nail polish table, and Massie had a professional come in and paint all of our nails.

There was the shoe table, full of enough heels and boots to fill my closet.

The jewelry table.

And then the dresses hanging proudly with Layne's performance outfit beside it.

"Alright then, I need to get to rehearsal. I'll see you later, Kris."

"Don't worry. I won't tell Blaze about how much time you're spending with that Super-Hot Harry."

"Shut up, Kristen," Layne rolled her eyes as she turned to put on her shoes to hide how she was turning cherry-red.

_**Dylan,**_

"You have such easy hair to work with," Jakob smiled as he sprayed my hair with some hair-friendly hairspray that he created and sold to every amazing salon in the country, which my hairstylist was _completely _in love with.

I smiled thanks.

It was really since Kat-Kat, my hairstylist, had given me the works. She touched up my carnation red hair and made sure that my kinky curls would be manageable for the next few weeks, and she made sure that I looked my best for the episode we were shooting where my mom and I cried as I packed up my room.

Though it had taken an hour last night to undo the hair-spray braid, I loved Kat-Kat for doing my hair.

What am I going to do when I move to the city without Kat-Kat?

_I have Massie, I'll be fine,_ I reminded myself.

"I love these gloves. I bought some for myself," Jakob smiled as he looked to my spiked gloves, and I smiled my thanks as I watched his fast hands work on curling my hair.

"Gawd, Alicia, show off for Zayn, huh?"

"I didn't know Zayn was here, remember?" Alicia looked to Massie, who smiled proudly.

"How did you meet _One Direction_ again?" Claire smirked, sitting in her chair while her hair got braided into a half-up half-down sweetheart look.

"Liam Payne and I both auditioned for X-Factor together when we were younger. Neither of us got in, but Liam kind of had a crush on me back then. So we stayed in touch, and I introduced him to his girlfriend. So he kind of owes me," Massie smiled as she sipped at her glass of Chardonnay, "James and Zayn are mates, too."

"_Gawd_, why didn't _I _move to England?" Alicia complained with a smile as she applied her eyeshadow.

"Hey, I could have gotten Nick Jonas here," I smiled.

"I tried. He's in FiGi."

I stuck my tongue out at her.

"How the heck do you do all this?"

Massie reached into her wallet and brought out a KISS ID.

"I worked for some powerful people. Proof that I'm Massie Block, and everything on the Eastern Hemisphere is mine."

"How do you freakin' do this? Can't you be a _little_ normal? Just a _little_. Maybe not have a perfect boyfriend who loves you more than anything. Or not being perfect all the time. Or not getting everything you want when you just snap a photo of your school ID."

"Who wants to be normal? Besides, you're _the_ Dylan Marvil, America's sweetheart. You're not exactly normal."

Massie looked to Claire.

"And you? After everything that you have put Cam through, you still have him coming back. James would have given up on me for his own sake years ago," Massie shook her head and looked to Kristen, "And Miss Professional Soccer player over there."

She turned to Alicia.

"Beautiful ballerina with Double-D's. You're _sooo_ normal, Alicia."

Alicia smiled and unbuttoned her white top two buttons to show the lace on her bra.

"Hey, my B-Cups are just as good," I crossed my arms, and Claire hugged her knees.

"I'm basically an A. Stop bragging."

We all laughed, and Alicia looked to the clock.

"I think it's time girls."

We all looked to each other.

It was time to get ready.

It was time to really end the summer.

"Okay," Massie took the stand to be the brave one, "Pon De Replay anyone?"

The song we danced to before Massie moved to England.

We all nodded with gentle smiles, and our alpha pressed the button on her cell phone and the ancient song began to play.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yeah, so I chickened out, okay?<strong>_

_**I realized that I had left some things undone, including One Direction (And Alicia and Zayn). So here it is. On polyvore, I had a big glitch, and many of my sets were lost. So I had to make Layne's big bash outfit all over again, and I decided to make one for just about everyone. And that has been taking me awhile (I only have Bay left though).**_

_**Anyway, tune in next time!**_


	30. The Big Bash

_**Massie,**_

I looked around to my girls, and we all smiled to each other.

Layne was her usual kick-ass hot with her signature beanie. Kristen was in a gorgeous mini dress with a bit of sass with hot pink streaks and Nike heels. Claire was a sweetheart in her sweetheart blue dress and camera earrings. Bay showed off her curves in a floral dress with hot red heels. Alicia was stunning in her black form-fitting black dress, and Dylan looked amazing in her red dress and spiked gloves.

Quinn and Strawberry stood to the side, their big entrance later.

Strawberry's hot pink hair had been touched up and cut crisply along her jaw line with a new touch of lighter pink and purple. Her long legs were shown off in her sparkly mini dress and cute ankle heels, showing off a new bracelet for NYC. Quinn was proudly wearing her bracelets for One Direction (Liam having always been her favorite and briefly her boyfriend before becoming just friends). Her vintage like dress fit her perfectly, and I could have sworn that she was trying to show off for someone but couldn't figure out who.

"Are you ready?" Quinn asked in her pronounced British accent, and Alyssa marched in, earning us all to stare.

I knew that Valentino.

I had lusted over it when I was picking out my Prom dress, but I shied away from it when I realized I could pay rent for a year in a small apartment for the price of the dress. Instead, I had a purple dress made for me, and James had loved it even more.

The red color didn't suit Alyssa's new tan, but she didn't look bad. The sweetheart neckline helped her flat chest, and the ruffles swallowed the small girl, having to use three inch heels to make it where she wasn't tripping on it.

Her hair was curled and put in a bun, and her lips were a bright red.

_Must have been a gift,_ I told myself.

"I love the dress, Alyssa," CeCe smiled at her, and Alyssa happily took the compliment.

"Hey, Lyssa," Layne smiled, and Alyssa froze.

I smiled thanks to Layne, and she happily ruffled her curls.

"Alright, so you go in these doors, CeCe," Alyssa pointed towards one set of doors, "And the Click goes through those doors."

I couldn't help but sneak a glance at CeCe.

She looked good.

Ever since becoming alpha, red had become her signature color.

Her red and black bandage dress hung perfectly on her dancer's body, and she looked like she was going to break her ankle in her lacy platform heels. Her blonde hair was trying to be serious in a simple bun, and she didn't wear much jewelry except for a ruby ring and necklace.

Olivia was trying to look sweet. But her floral mini dress was a little too short and her heels a little too tall. Her cute little heart earrings reminded me of a little girl, and it was weird to think that, in a few years, _her_ little girl could wear those earrings.

And then there was April.

April was how Alicia had described her.

She was petite, with long raven black hair. Her cheekbones were high and her lips full. She had a smile that reminded me of a little girl up to trouble. She wore a cloth embellished necklace and black heels that I would have fallen in. Her dress reminded me of something you saw from a magician's assistant wear when she was distracting the audience from the obvious trick. It was shiny, black, tight, and revealing.

"Lovely," I smiled, my British accent coming out, and Alyssa looked back to her iPad, still angry that I had landed One Direction and not her.

No, she was angry that I would still be this person tomorrow morning.

And, tomorrow morning, she would be struggling to hold on to this.

But she couldn't…

I felt bad for her in that way, I had to admit.

"On the count of three."

I laced my arms around Claire's and Alicia's arms, and they all joined in.

"Two."

CeCe adjusted her dress.

"Three."

To the sound of _It Girl_, we all strutted in.

Here goes nothing.

_**Dylan,**_

"_That's __what makes you beautiful!_" everyone screamed along to One Direction that you could barely hear them.

But none of us cared.

The lunch room had been transformed and looked amazing, with One Direction performing on the stage happily.

Everyone at the party was having more fun than any of us could have ever anticipated, and I had shaken off my co-host duties to have fun with my friends.

This was how I wanted to end my summer. Dancing till my feet ached in gorgeous cream heels. My hot and comfortable red dress getting compliments. And all of my friends laughing as we tried on the leather stud gloves I brought with me.

I was dancing around with Massie as the other girls all went to get drinks, and I laughed as I saw the party crashers.

"Massie, look!" I pointed, and she laughed, too.

The Alpha Island girls.

Charlie was wearing a grey dress with her hair in a bun, laughing with boyfriend Darwin. They were oblivious to the world and didn't seem to even notice the photographers as they stared intently into each other's eyes.

Skye wasn't oblivious to the party though.

She looked like a party goddess. Her hair tumbled down her back and onto her leather jacket with _Skye_ written in gold. Her blue mini dress matched her eyes, and her shoes were made for dancing. She was scanning the crowd, trying to avoid her old besties that she ditched when she got accepted to Alpha Academy.

And then there was Allie A. Abbott.

The once-model fit her role on the CW hit drama perfectly. Though she played the mean girl who learned the hard way how horrible Hollywood can be when you're trying to make it big, she was sweet from what I had heard. I had never met her in person. Only seen her once or twice.

She was beautiful, I knew that for certain. Tonight, she wore a blonde wig with a haircut like Strawberry's. Her ankle boots were high, and her hot pink dress was tight. Allie looked like her character Sara.

I suddenly thought back to my offer to play Bre.

I didn't regret it, though I probably should have.

"Did you hear? Everyone thinks that Skye is dating Harry or Niall! Or even both!" Massie told me.

"I heard that she had a fling with Joe _and_ Nick Jonas!"

"She always was…" Massie trailed off.

"A slut?"

Massie laughed.

"I was going to say _talented_."

"Ooh, so talented. I have a feeling Skye knows more than just plies and bowing for the audience."

Massie nudged me and started laughing, and we were laughing so hard we barely noticed Allie until she was already approaching the dance floor.

"She's probably coming to talk about Bre," Massie whispered as the song ended and Niall began to talk to the audience.

"Perfect," I mumbled, and I waited for the beautiful blonde to get to us.

When she first got to us, it was a little awkward.

I wasn't sure if I should be shell-shocked or if she should be.

"I'm Allie," Allie finally introduced herself, "Allie A."

She was pretending to be someone else.

But we all knew who she was.

"I'm Dylan," I smiled.

"I'm Massie."

While Allie was supposed to know who I was, I could also tell that she knew who Massie was.

Probably old stories from Skye.

After what happened with James, I was sure that Skye had told them everything.

"Well, I just wanted to come meet my new neighbors."

Massie and I had gotten an amazing modern place in New York thanks to our connections, and Alicia was moving into the third bedroom. We were excited about moving in together, and we had already gone shopping to decorate it.

"Wait, what?" I stared at her, "I thought you were supposed to be in LA now for filming."

Allie smiled as she shook her head.

"Sara had really been on too long. I was ready for a new story," Allie shrugged, "So, instead of how the plan had been for Sara to come out of a coma, Sara lived for a brief while to make final messages on her cell phone to say goodbye before bleeding out on the road."

"Wow, definitely not watching this season," Massie muttered, shaking her head.

"It's time for new stars. Alexis and Reilly are going to take on a better role."

"So what are you going to do here?" I asked, secretly dying to know what A-Lister Allie A. Abbott had planned.

A new movie? Some Broadway?

"Relax," Allie smiled but leaned in.

Maybe it was just my hopes, but I could see us really being friends.

"Or that's the story until we start filming."

"Secret show?"

"Ultra-secret. But you can know. We have a part for you, Cody. She's not like Bre. A little more badass but not Sara-level badass."

The role I really wanted.

"Really?"

"I'll get Hanna to talk to you. I'd love to work with you."

I smiled my thanks, and Allie's smile widened as she looked to the stage, where the band was taking a break to join the party. Niall's smile widened, and he hurried off the stage a little faster.

"I've got to go. I'll see you soon though. I'll be right across the hall."

With that the super-star actress was gone just as fast as she had come, off in the direction of Niall.

I looked back to Massie, who was smiling proudly.

"Remember not to forget us little people when you get all A-Lister actress," Massie faked a pout.

"You? Little people? _Puh-Lease_, Massie."

She smiled and hugged me.

"Thanks for a fun summer."

This was definitely the best summer _ever_.

"No, thank you for a fun summer, Red," Massie smiled, and I smiled as we began to jump around like idiots to _Tonight, Tonight_ and screaming the lyrics to the top of our lungs.

I thought back to my old friends. We never had this much fun. At this party, we probably would be shaking our heads at the non-famous people being crazy and talking about our private jets or getting in a limo and going off to our yachts.

I loved this a million times more, and I knew that this wouldn't just be a summer thing. We would be like this when one of us was wearing a wedding dress instead of a party dress, laughing together.

In fact, we were laughing so hard that I could barely breathe when someone tapped on Massie's shoulder.

"Mind if I cut in?"

I smiled as I looked to Josh, perfect Josh.

He had worn what I had asked him to, and he looked amazing as always. He and the boys drove over here together, and they had all been talking in the back since the party started a little while ago. Josh seemed to be the first to break away for time with their girlfriend, and I couldn't stop smiling.

"Not at all," Massie smiled, "I've got a British boy I need to go find."

I smiled goodbye to my alpha and felt my heart race as Josh wrapped his arms around me and smiled.

"Hey, Red."

"Hey, Hotz."

"You look beautiful."

"You, too," I smirked.

Josh smiled as he pushed my red hair out of my eyes.

"So, I was thinking something a little more relaxing next summer."

"By a beach somewhere with the boat, I'm guessing."

"You know me too well."

I smiled as I got up on my tippy toes.

"Six months will do wonders," I closed the distance to kiss him.

_**Massie,**_

"Look at that," I shook my head as I watched Derrington and James, "A few days ago, they were about to murder each other. And now they're best friends."

"Men," Strawberry shook her head, letting out a laugh, "I'll never understand that. We could fight for years, and they're over it in ten minutes."

I smiled and nodded.

"I wonder which girl's heart Robin will break first," I asked as I looked at Robin, who was laughing with James.

He had just flown in after having to stay for something with his family after spending a summer in Madrid, and I had only gotten to hug him and tease him for a few minutes before he and James began to catch up after all that time apart.

They were like twins, and sometimes I wondered if they had an invisible umbilical cord making them have to spend twenty-four-seven with each other.

We all loved Robin, but none of us girls had ever had a crush on him.

We knew him too well.

We knew his ways.

And we were smart enough not to think like girls before and think that things would be different for us.

Because they probably wouldn't.

And we would end up crying with a box of chocolate and tissues.

"From what I've heard, he's been good. No breaking hearts. I guess he was so busy in Madrid," Strawberry shrugged.

"Hey, I got the drinks."

We all turned to Quinn and took our drinks.

But we weren't the only ones who looked at her.

Quinn was shocked as she saw Robin, and I knit my eyebrows in confusion.

But then I looked back to Robin.

He looked like… well, like James when he saw me.

He seemed to have the wind knocked out of his chest, and a smile spread to match his sparkling green eyes as he let out a wave.

Quinn smiled as she waved back, and Robin looked like he was going to go over to talk to her when Derrington brought him back to the conversation by bringing up soccer or something.

Strawberry and I stared at Quinn, who was still dazed.

"Eh. Ma. Bloody. Gawd," Strawberry crossed her arms, "_Robin?"_

"When did this happen?"

"When did _what_ happen?'

"That," I laughed as I pointed to her lovesick face.

"Well, my book tour took me to Madrid for a while."

I knew all this.

"I stayed in the apartment below Robin's and the teams. We spent a lot of time together," Quinn blushed, "When he wasn't playing soccer, we were going to museums or something. We talked on Skype all the time when I went back to London."

That I didn't know.

"So that's why you went to go see him at the end of the summer!" I smiled like I had figured it out.

"Actually, he came to see me," Quinn bit her lower lip nervously.

My jaw dropped.

"I knew he was home early! And I just thought he didn't want to be teased that was why he was with you every time I saw him!" Strawberry exclaimed.

I couldn't believe it.

While Quinn didn't tease Robin as much, she had known better than any of us that you would have to be an idiot to date him.

But I ran over the last four years in my mind.

Robin was always very protective of her. He wouldn't let her date any bad guy and scared them away. He even ditched head cheerleader Heather for his prom date because Quinn had been so busy with her last book that she didn't have time to find a date.

And Quinn always stood up for Robin when Strawberry teased him, which was more often than you would think.

It had always been there.

But Madrid had pushed them over the edge.

"Robin? Robin really came to see you? The one who invented, _Wait for Her to Come to You?_" Strawberry laughed, still going over her time with the two.

Quinn was about to reply when she saw something.

"Ohmagod."

"What?"

"It's Sunglasses!" Quinn pointed.

Strawberry almost choked on her Mojito.

"Sunglasses?" I looked to see where she was pointing.

"We saw him in Monte Carlo, buying these Raybands. He and Strawberry got coffee, and he bought her these neon sunglasses. He was about to give her his number when his little sister pulled him away. We saw him again at the airport. He got on a regular flight and we got on the jet. But we saw him again when we were getting off our flight to get here. We've been searching for him ever since," Quinn explained, and Strawberry was frantic as she looked for him.

"Ohmygod, itsSunglasses!" Strawberry spoke so fast that I could barely understand her.

I followed her eyes and gasped.

"_Erik_?"

"You know him?"

I looked back to them.

"Yeah, he dated Claire for a while. _You_ know him?"

"Claire?" Strawberry's face fell as if I had just told him he was married or something, "So he likes girls like that…"

"Do you want to meet him?"

"You're going to introduce us? What are we? Four at a birthday party?" Strawberry crossed her arms.

"Do you want to meet him or not?"

"Yes," Strawberry didn't hesitate, and I looped my arm around hers so she wouldn't chicken out.

I smiled as I pulled her through the party, but I didn't even need to introduce her.

Erik saw her almost immediately, and I guess she was hard to miss.

"Pink."

"Sunglasses," Strawberry smiled, no longer needing me to lead her.

"I'm Erik."

"I'm Strawberry."

_**Kristen,**_

"_I'm sorry, I miss you, I beg you, I need you,"_ Layne's melodic voice came through the microphone, and everyone stared, wondering who she was and what she did with One Direction.

But they were giving her a chance.

And that was all she needed.

She had hurried out of her shiny black mini dress, and she had changed into a pair of leather shorts and studded combat boots. Her One Direction tee shirt fit her well, and she had put on her signature leather and black beanie jacket for good luck.

And the music was soft, like a slow song.

"_I am sorry, This hurts me, More than you know,"_ Layne sang, _"Wait, no."_

The song turned into pop-punk, and everyone cheered.

"_That's what I'm s'posed, to say, 'Cause I left you,"_ Layne sang louder, and everyone began to dance along.

I smiled for my best friend and waited for Niall Horan, who I had chosen when we announced One Direction. Massie made a show of it. Layne stood in the center, wearing the tee shirt saying she loved all of them. Bay wore the tee shirt for one Liam and Claire for the other. I had Niall. Alicia had Zayn, and Dylan had Harry. Massie made a joke about not having a tee shirt, and she brought out the band to make up for it.

Niall had been chosen to sing along with Layne, and he was supposed to come in soon.

Layne came to the part where the music slowed.

But then another voice came on to the speakers.

"_This isn't what was I'm supposed to say, I know I should say,"_ his voice joined in, and Layne's eyes widened as a boy in leather with black hair and bright blue eyes came on the stage.

It came to the part where Layne had to come back in for the sake of the song, and she smiled wide at him, that kind of smile you have when you want to kiss someone but are stuck doing something else.

"_That I regret it, I miss you, That I wish I-I-I-I could go back..."_ Layne sang, and she was a million times better this time from new confidence.

I smiled for Layne.

Layne and Baze.

It had a nice ring to it…

I was about to go over to Claire and Massie, who were getting drinks, and talk about how cute it was that Baze made it after all when I saw another cute boy.

Dempsey.

When he saw me, he tensed.

_Great, I make him tense,_ I mentally moaned.

But he was coming towards me…

I wanted to pretend that I didn't see him and walk away, but I knew I had to do this. I had to get this out of the way…

I just really didn't want to.

When Dempsey got up to me, it was awkward.

There was this space between us.

It was like we couldn't decide if we should fill it and be close or even get farther away.

I had never noticed that space, but I only noticed it now…

This is as far as we will ever get.

Somewhere deep inside, that hurt.

All of this, and we just couldn't do it.

Our break up a few years ago had been permanent.

"Hey," Dempsey awkwardly smiled, and my heart broke.

Look at us.

All around us, everyone was getting their fairy tale ending.

It was like something from a romantic comedy I had probably seen a million times. The evil girl ends up with what she deserves (usually pregnant in teen movies). The star gets the guy, gets the life, and gets the dream school. Everything just falls into place for everyone.

Everyone was living this movie.

Everyone but us…

We were the awkward couple in the beginning. The couple you see when the star is forced to start over for themselves and for the other person. Then they meet the person completely unlike them and opposites attract. Someone who looks like Taylor Launter.

I just needed to go find my Taylor Launter.

But I didn't want him.

I wanted Dempsey.

No, I wanted how Dempsey was at the beginning of the summer.

Before Griffon. Before drama. Before all of this.

I would never get him though…

I was thinking of my excuse to go talk with Claire when Dempsey's eyes wandered behind me and knit in confusion.

I looked back and smiled.

"Took long enough," I smiled as Griffon slung his arm over Bay, making her smile wider than I had ever seen her smile.

They kept watching the show, and Bay rested her head on his shoulder as they kept talking, making him burn bright red and smile wide.

"Wait, what?"

"Well, they've been in love with each other for years. I've spent all summer trying to get them together."

Dempsey choked on his drink.

"What?" he asked as he tried to gain his breath back.

"What did you think I was doing? I've been trying to get them together," I crossed my arms, and Dempsey's eyes widened.

"Wait, so you're not the girl he has a crush on?"

"What?"

"H-He said he had a crush on some beautiful smart girl but wouldn't say who. I-It wasn't you?"

Griffon often described Bay as if she was a goddess sent from the heavens.

Dempsey thought that was _me_?

"No, it's Bay."

"S-So you two a-aren't dating?"

"Dating? _Griffon_? Ew!" I shook my head, "I love him, but he's like my little brother! My stupid, annoying little brother!"

"But you said you liked someone!"

"You, Dempsey!"

His jaw dropped.

"You really thought I liked Griffon?" I stared at him, unable to believe that he had really been that stupid.

His answer was completely unexpected but desperately wanted.

His strong arms wrapped around me, pulled me close, and his lips met mine.

_**Alicia,**_

I took a sip of my Mojito, and I was sliding off my heels for a minute to massage my aching feet.

_Maybe dancing in stilettos hadn't been my best idea_, I told myself, and I was thinking about just ditching my shoes behind the stage and going back to the raging party.

I had to remind myself that I was determined to look better than CeCe to make me put the shoes back on, and I was applying my nude lipstick again before going back to the party when I heard the sound of high heels clacking towards me.

Fear hit me hard.

_CeCe,_ the word ran through my mind, and I shuddered_, Please not CeCe. Please not CeCe._

My prayer was answered but not exactly how I wanted it to be.

"I love the dress."

Bea.

I stared at her.

Oh God, it was time.

No, no, no, not now.

I don't want to hear the news now.

"I love the shoes," I smiled weakly at her red platform heels.

Bea seemed to understand that I didn't want small talk, and she leaned onto the stage.

"I talked to the school," Bea pushed her hair behind her ear.

"You did?"

"They were impressed, by both of you. Wished they had two spots."

"Do they?" my disgust was evident.

School with CeCe.

Hell, no.

"Afraid not, They're too _exclusive_ to have extra room," Bea rolled her eyes.

She was an ex-dancer. She devoted her life to dance until she met Will, brilliant businessman. He showed her a new life, and she loved it. When he proposed, Bea thought of leaving dance. And, when she got the pregnancy test with a little plus sign, she left and never looked back. Instead, she began to find new dancers to give them their dreams.

"So, you know, huh?"

"The announcement is tomorrow, Alicia."

I nodded, feeling sick.

"But I can tell you anyway."

I quickly looked to her, hungry to know.

"Pack your bags, Gorgeous. You've got class next Monday."

I smiled wide.

"Y-You mean it?"

"Yeah, you were amazing, Alicia! Cecelia didn't have a chance!"

I felt like I was about to explode from happiness, and I couldn't help but wrap the petite woman into a big hug, thanking her repeatedly.

"Hey, you earned it, Kid. Just told tell CeCe yet."

I shook my head.

No, I wanted to see her face at the announcement when everyone was staring…

"I won't," I smiled, smiling like a little kid at Christmas.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Ten sharp. I've got to make sure that Will didn't burn the house down. Tori has her friends over, and the baby isn't feeling well. Knowing Will, I'm walking into a disaster zone."

I had met Will, and I had met Tori, her seven year old daughter.

"Good luck," I smiled, still thinking about all that I would do now.

I began to make my To-Do list in my head.

And I even began to imagine what I would do next Monday during my first class.

I had to make a splash, but not the bad kind of splash that Skye made with those stupid arm warmers (I mean, what the hell?).

Bea snapped me out of my thoughts by letting out a little wave and walking towards the exit.

_She never said I couldn't tell,_ I smiled to myself, _Just not CeCe_.

Scanning the room, I looked for my friends to tell them the amazing news. And the first person I saw was the one and only Massie Block.

She had chosen a low-key but beautiful purple dress. She had sent in her lucky nude pumps to get bedazzled with pearls and little gold studs. Her _Yves Saint Laudrent_ gold and black chain necklace hung proudly on her neck next to her black diamond earrings. Her gold cuff had only been bought yesterday when we all went shopping, and Massie's Brown hair had been curled into a half-up half-down style, making sure that her purple streak was noticeable.

Massie was sipping at a glass of Champaign as she worked the party, and I hurried my painful walk over to her, where she smiled at me.

"Why so happy, Fannish?" Massie smiled.

Four years ago, I would have steamed.

But now I could feel the joke this time.

"Oh nothing. Just got into the best dance academy in the country."

Massie smiled wide.

"Ehmagawd! You got in?"

"Bea just told me!"

Massie and I hugged like the teenagers we were, and I liked acting like a teenager.

It felt weird that I wasted all of my high-school years being a stuck-up bitch and making fun of those girls enjoying their teenage days. I lived the teenage dream, I suppose. I was the it girl with the hottest boyfriends and the coolest clothes.

"Congratulations, Leesh!" she hugged me again, and this time my eyes wandered to the back of the party.

It hurt more than I had expected.

There he was.

His brown eyes with that usual spark. His golden hair reflecting the lights from the party. He was wearing those horrible mix-matched outfits that he loved so much and those stupid lucky Converses.

Massie caught me staring.

"He misses you, too."

I looked back to her.

"What are you talking about?" I tried, but Massie didn't buy it.

"He's not as good a liar as he thinks he is. He can list everything about you and couldn't tell me Maggie's middle name," Massie shook her head as she looked at him, and my eyes watered.

"No, I won't. I just won't. He deserves someone better than me. Someone who won't run away when it gets complicated. And who can make up her mind to see how perfect he is," I shook my head, "I refuse to do it."

"You don't have to, Alicia. You can go off to New York City and forget him and go find someone else. But he will never be able to really go find that girl that you want him to have if he is sitting around wondering why you left."

I looked back to her, and Massie was resolute that I had to tell him.

"You mean about-?" I stopped, feeling sick.

"Yeah," Massie nodded, and I felt the two mojitos that I had tonight begin to crawl up my throat.

I nodded, and I slowly walked to the edge of the party, where the boys were talking about soccer and the last game or something.

Derrington's eyes widened when he saw me, and the boys slowly turned to look at me.

_God, they knew._

Now I was definitely going to throw up.

Somehow, I managed to keep my lunch in my stomach and speak.

"Derrick, can I talk to you?"

All of the boys looked to each other and snickered.

"Shut it down," Derrington glared, silently reminding them that he was still king if even only for the night.

He looked at me.

"Sure, Alicia."

I nodded and led him out the door to the outside eating area of the cafeteria, which had been set up for relaxing and getting away from all of the music. But why would anyone want to get away from the biggest party of the year (if not the decade)?

So, it was empty.

Just how I wanted.

It felt bad enough to admit this to him but to an audience?

"So, what's up?" Derrington asked nervously as he leaned up against the wall, remembering the last time we came outside to talk.

"I wanted to apologize," I tapped on my cuff nervously, "For everything. I was…"

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"A complete bitch. I can't believe you really put up with me like that. You were right about everything. From Brandon to CeCe. I just didn't want to see it," I had to bite my tongue to keep from crying, "Well, I just thought that, after everything that happened, you at least deserved to know what happened two years ago."

Derrington leaned up, desperate to know.

"Remember how moody I was at the end of the summer? And all of those jokes about me being…?" I trailed off, and his eyes widened.

"Y-You were…?"

"No," I shook my head, "But you weren't the only one to tease me about it. So, I got a doctor's appointment. Hey, do you remember that singer? Alicia Rivera?"

"Yeah, the one-hit-wonder who married some rich guy."

"Well, we both went to the doctor at the same time. She got my negative result, and I got her positive result. My parents went to hide me away in Spain. And I let myself get excited. You know, picking out names, going shopping for baby clothes. I went for my first ultrasound and no baby. Then they found out that the results were wrong and that I wasn't pregnant…"

I took a deep breath, unable to finish it, and Derrington stared at me.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I just snapped. A-And I didn't want anyone to know. I-I-" I couldn't finish the sentence.

Instead, I just shook my head.

"I'm sorry, Derrick."

Derrick just stood there.

I expected him to walk away.

To accept the information and move on with his life.

It was what he should have done.

It was better for him.

But, all of a sudden, I felt his strong arms wrap around me and pull me to rest my head on his chest.

I forced myself not to cry for the sake of my make-up, and I stared up at him.

"What are you doing? If you had even the slightest bit of common sense, you would stay as far away from me as possible," I stared at him, "That's what you're supposed to do. That's why I came out here. So that you could move on, Derrick."

"When have I ever done what you wanted me to do, Leesh?" he held his forehead to mine, "And call me Derrington."

He closed the barely-there distance between us with a kiss, and I melted into him.

_**Claire,**_

We all stood behind the stage, watching as _One Direction_ got off for the announcement, wishing the Click good luck before going to mingle with the party.

"I can't believe it's time," Massie smiled to each of us.

Each of us.

We all got our fairytale endings, I guess.

Alicia had Derrington and her dream dance school in NYC.

Massie had her British hawtie, James.

Kristen had Dempsey and a professional soccer career waiting on her.

Dylan would probably be the next Allie A. Abbott and had Josh along for the ride.

I had my dream school and my dream job waiting on me. Maybe being a teacher in a New York private school and teaching photography classes during the summer wasn't as glamorous as a superstar actress or working at Vogue, but I loved it.

The only thing that separated me and my friends happened to be the lack of a boy.

Even Layne had landed Baze, who she still swore up and down she was just friends with.

"I know, the end of the summer. Already," Alicia smiled.

She was the only one looking forward to the end of the summer.

I understood that.

When she left Westchester, she could start a new life as this new Alicia.

Her new start was a blessing.

Mine?

I was still scared for mine.

"Hey, did you ever find your apartment? We'll have room for another girl," Massie offered to me, and I shook my head.

Kristen was with Layne, Bay, and Quinn.

Dylan was sharing her apartment with Alicia and Massie.

And I was going into the dorms at the school I chose.

"I decided the dorms," I shrugged, and Massie nodded, though the dorms hadn't even been an option for her.

We all looked back to Alyssa, who was shutting down poling, and everyone was making their last votes.

I couldn't tell who was going to win.

I thought it would be us, but would Alicia be the end of us?

Alicia knew that she was posing a problem, and we could all tell she was upset about it, but there wasn't much we could do about it.

Strawberry was opening her mouth to tell us something when something made us all stop.

As the song drifted through OCD, everyone who knew it froze.

Massie's eyes widened.

Layne stared at me.

Dylan dropped her lipstick.

And CeCe began to choke on her Champaign.

But there eyes never left me.

_Gummi Claire._

I knew every word by heart.

If I closed my eyes, I could see the first time that Cam sang it to me.

But my eyes weren't closed.

They were looking around the room for where this was coming from.

"I'll be right back," I wasn't even sure that I said it as I began to weave through the crowds.

Was this what I thought it was?

Or had someone played it because Layne had been involved with it?

I wasn't sure.

Some stared at me because they remembered the song.

But most had forgotten it with the old trends from back then.

Just like they had forgotten how popular I had once been, they had forgotten the song. They had forgotten it just as they had forgotten the big trend of crimping your hair that Massie had created in Seventh Grade.

I hadn't forgotten though…

I pushed past a group of girls staring at One Direction, and I froze as I saw him.

He smiled like, _You gotta do what you gotta do_, as he held up the little plastic box with _Gummi Claire_ written as the cover in candy cane letters.

For Valentine's Day, he had given me that with a box of my favorite candy, and _Gummi Claire_ would be written in that candy.

Our last year together, he gave me candy canes with _Claire_ written in blue. So, the title of the CD had been written in candy canes instead of Milk Duds like the year before.

"You know, I tried normal things. Phones. E-Mail. Even talked to your brother."

"I've been busy," I shrugged, still smiling like an idiot.

"Well, this seemed like the easiest option."

"Putting on _Gummi Claire_ in the middle of the end of the year party was the easiest option?"

"Maybe Plan B of going to see you tomorrow was best."

I smiled at Cam.

"But I have a lot to apologize for. So, a big romantic gesture just seemed best."

"Definitely Rom-Com. But you're missing one thing."

"If you'd give me a minute," Cam smiled, getting close to me, and I kept smiling.

It was amazing.

We had survived dating through middle school.

We had broken up, moved on, and suspended all contact.

I broke him up with his girlfriend of two-years by announcing that she was cheating on him with his best friend.

He turned me down even after everything I did to get with him.

Then I started dating someone else.

Cam and I made a mistake that ended my relationship with Erik.

And then this.

This was so…

Unrealistic, right?

I had gotten used to real life after my break-up with Cam, and it felt so weird that we were back to that romantic life we had before.

Where everything worked out for the good guys. Where date nights were always amazing. And gifts were always extraordinary.

Cam was what girls dream about when they're little kids. Eventually, either they grow up and want something else. But some of them stay with that dream of the romantic, sensitive man. While some end up as women with a million cats and romance novels, some found them.

And I think I found mine.

His breath warmed me, and I felt my heart flutter.

"You could have just apologized."

"Why do that when I could do this?" Cam whispered as he kissed me gently, scared I wouldn't kiss back. His lips quickly retreated, still worried that I would tell him goodbye and thank him for the gesture.

He wanted my answer.

I ran my hand through his black hair, and I pulled his face to where I wouldn't have to get on my tippy-toes to kiss him.

Just as the kiss was getting perfect, someone tapped on my arm.

I pulled away and saw an angry Alyssa standing there.

"Do you mind? I have a show to put on here."

I looked back to Cam, who was laughing at Alyssa.

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

He smiled and nodded.

I turned back to Alyssa, glaring at her.

"Five minutes? Is that such an inconvenience?" I asked as we started walking towards the others.

"Keep it in your pants. If I spread my legs for every guy that wrote me a song…" Alyssa rolled her eyes.

"Right, _The Bitch Song._ I love that one."

Alyssa narrowed her brown eyes at me, and I walked further ahead of her, which wasn't hard in her super-high shoes.

* * *

><p><em><strong>No One POV,<strong>_

Alyssa tapped on the microphone and began her speech.

She had been planning it for weeks.

It was beautiful. It was concise. And it was perfect for the situation.

But Alyssa could tell that no one actually cared.

Somewhere, underneath all the make-up and extravagant gifts, that hurt her.

She had to remind herself that she would have this one day, when she became the journalist she wanted to be. One day, she would be leading TMZ in the expensive clothes that she was getting accustomed to.

She missed the days of tee shirts and ponytails making her happy. Now she would have to beg her dad for a credit card after all that time of making fun of her older, perfect sister, Grace. This summer, she had gotten to be Grace. But she hadn't landed a rich husband like Grace to keep her in this life.

"For the itGirls, we have CeCe Peterson as Alpha," Alyssa smiled her TV-Ready smile as CeCe strutted out with the claps, "And her two betas, Olivia and April."

Olivia was cursing under her breath as she came out with April.

When Brandon had found out about the baby, he had been adamant about keeping the baby, even if it meant taking care of the baby alone. Olivia had gone along with him, of course. She didn't know what else to do. So, she kept the baby and made plans to follow him to his college in the city.

Olivia had planned on her pregnancy being a breeze. Shopping for adorable little baby clothes and nursery items. Having a gentle bump that she would show off in a pair of jeans and a form-fitting tee shirt.

But what she got was the opposite. Suddenly, people were buying things for the baby, not her. Brandon was excited for the baby, not her anymore. And her weight gain was coming on fast now that Brandon made her eat for two now when she had barely been eating for one.

To make it even worse, she had her first taste of morning sickness this morning. She hadn't fit into her dress and had to buy a new one that was looser on her stomach. Olivia had been starving all day and hadn't been able to eat enough, and now she felt like she was going throw up all over Alyssa's gorgeous Valentino.

"And, for the Click," Alyssa didn't smile as wide, "we have Massie Block as Alpha."

Everyone clapped and stared at the beautiful alpha.

"And Claire Lyons," each girl came out with their name, "Layne Abeley, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, Bay Peterson, and Alicia Rivera."

Everyone stared at Alicia.

They knew what had happened, but it still felt weird to see her up there.

Derrington smiled to Alicia, and, since it was easy to find him in the crowd, Alicia smiled back her thanks. It was harder than she had expected it to be.

"All summer, we have seen the two alphas fight for our love," Alyssa smiled, looking between Massie and CeCe, "We have seen them through break-ups, fights, and drama. And their lives have been underneath the microscope for all of us to see."

Massie kept watching Alyssa, her excitement reaching its peak.

She couldn't take a long speech.

She was ready to know.

_Now._

"You all have voted, and it's time to see who has won tonight."

Everyone on the stage felt their heart race as one of Alyssa's girls, Margo, came out on the stage.

CeCe felt her heart stop as she looked at the girl.

S-She didn't know her.

What CeCe didn't know was that Alyssa had found out that Jamie had been giving CeCe extra votes this entire time, and she had no way of finding out who was really the winner without admitting the embarrassing truth. So, when CeCe had brought up the idea for new votes, she had jumped at starting over.

_T-These votes are real, _CeCe felt her world crash around her, _I may not win._

CeCe felt her Luna bar begin to crawl up her throat.

Margo handed Alyssa the purple envelope with _Gossip Girl_ written in gold.

"Gawd, I'm excited," Alyssa smiled.

Massie had to bite her tongue not to kill her for putting it off.

It only took a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity as Alyssa opened the envelope and looked to the thin golden piece of paper.

Everyone made a silent little prayer as they waited.

"And the winner is…"

CeCe and Massie looked to each other.

_Good luck, Bitch,_ they silently told each other.

They looked to Alyssa, and Massie felt real fear creep into her.

"With one hundred votes giving them their win, we name our new Clique," Alyssa looked to the crowd, and Massie held her breath, "And Westchester, you have chosen…"

Everyone wanted to murder Alyssa for the long wait times.

"The Click!"

Everyone cheered, and Massie was frozen from shock.

"Ehmagawd!" Massie looked to her friends, and they all wrapped her up in a hug as everyone clapped even louder.

"Go Click!"

"Massie rules!"

"Go, Kristen!"

"Dylan's awesome!"

"PC forever!"

"The Click!"

Alyssa smiled as she walked over to the Click, where everyone made room for her to get to Massie.

"Welcome to the Golden Girls."

The Golden Girls.

Not the old TV show.

The list of amazing Westchester Alphas.

Alphas like Skye Hamilton. Or Summer Williams, the amazing superstar designer. And other such amazing Westchester girls.

It was a secret society, and they had a calling card.

The golden bracelet.

Skye Hamiltion strutted on the stage, flipping her golden hair as she walked to Massie.

"Hey, Mass," she whispered, "Bury the hatchet?"

"Stay away from James, and we're all good," Massie smiled, and Skye moved to where everyone could see as she put the golden charm bracelet on her wrist, which everyone cheered for.

Skye leaned in closer to whisper one more thing.

"We still on for the other member?"

"Yeah, hang at the corner," Massie nodded, and Skye stepped back as Massie made her acceptance speech.

It was fast, and people could barely hear it from everyone's cheering.

But everyone heard the last bit.

"As you know, we had a second question along with who your favorite Click member was. Who is your favorite Alpha? And it's time to find that out."

Alicia and Massie smiled at each other.

This had been their pet project, and they were excited about finding out the winner of this.

Alyssa took her spot in front of the crowd, and Margo brought out another purple envelope.

"The nominees were Massie Block."

Massie walked towards the center.

"Alicia Rivera."

Alicia took her spot beside her best friend, and CeCe tried not to seem steamed as she was called to stand beside her.

Maybe she didn't win, but she could blame that on the knocked-up Olivia.

Best Alpha was an even greater honor, and it got her in _The Golden Girls_.

"And…"

Everyone was shocked.

And?

Who else could there be?

"Bay Peterson."

Bay's eyes widened.

She was frozen to where she stood, smiling proudly with Layne about how their plan had worked after all this time.

Layne nudged her, and Bay forced herself to move and stand on the other side of Massie Block, staring at her Alpha.

Massie's smile confirmed that she had been responsible for nominating her, and Bay kept staring.

"The winner is," Alyssa opened the envelope, and she smiled.

Even if she didn't like this situation, she had to admit that she agreed with who won…

"Bay Peterson! Give it up for Bay Peterson!"

The crowd erupted into applause, louder than it had been for anything else the entire night.

And it was true.

This entire time, Bay had been alpha.

She had steered Alicia into the right path for years but had lost control when the alpha snapped, and she had the guts to launch an attack against her best friends so that she could bring her best friend back to the girl she missed so much. But she hadn't been able to pull it off alone. So she got _the_ Massie Block to be the face of the Click for her and got the PC back together.

She was the secret alpha.

The only one who hadn't resorted to gossip and rumors. The only one who had stayed true to what she was standing for the entire time, the one who was always strong.

"Oh. My. God," Bay stood there, speechless, and Skye Hamilton had her camera-ready smile as she gifted her with the golden bracelet for _The Golden Girls_.

"You earned it, Kiddo," Massie nudged her, and CeCe stood there frozen.

She couldn't believe this.

Losing to Massie Block was one thing.

But Bay?

Her dorky twin?

CeCe opened her mouth to protest and make a scene, but Alicia leaned over to her.

"Say one thing, Cecelia, and I'll tell everyone just how you passed this year."

CeCe's jaw dropped.

"How do you know about that?" she hissed.

"Does it even matter?"

CeCe stormed off the stage, and Bay smiled as she looked to her alphas.

"I love you guys," Bay whispered, and they smiled.

"Love you, too, Smarty," Alicia hip-bumped her.

"I'd love you a whole lot more if you kissed Griffon already," Massie smirked, and Bay laughed.

Alyssa nodded for the final event of the night.

The three alphas _The Girls _walked up to the microphone, looking between each other.

"The Click makes their recommendation for the next Clique of Westchester," Alicia announced.

"And we chose…" Bay continued.

"_The Girls,_" Massie announced, "Blaire, Erin, Mila, Rose, and Nola."

Everyone cheered, and a professional picture of _The Girls_ came on the screen behind them.

They had made pictures of the two options. Massie chose _The Girls_ after getting to know them because Blaire was dating Todd, and CeCe had chosen the sluts of PCMS.

As the three girls stepped back, Alyssa took the microphone again.

"Thank you all for being here and for getting involved in this process! Now, enjoy the party. And enjoy One Direction!"

The cheers were thunderous as the band came back on the stage and performed a new single that they hadn't released yet, and the girl got off the stage.

"Gawd, Olivia! It's all your fault!" CeCe pushed the girl as they got off their exit, "Thanks for getting knocked up!"

"No, it's _your fault_! You couldn't be alpha!" CeCe pushed her back, and she toppled to the ground. April rushed to help her alpha, and CeCe needed a drink as she realized this was what she had left if she didn't get into the dance school.

She would be stuck in Westchester living down her failure with only _April_ on her side.

"And I am not fat, everyone!" Olivia complained, throwing her shoes down, "CeCe is just trying to make her Clique look good. I'm _pregnant_! And I'm not a member of the _itGirls_ anymore!"

Olivia stomped off, and CeCe stared.

But, on the other side of the stage, they were all smiles.

The music was too loud for them to hear Olivia, and they were still celebrating their glory together.

"Mind if I get a picture?" one of the reporter for US Weekly asked, and the camera man got ready to snap a picture.

"Smile!" the woman smiled, and the girls wrapped their arms together.

"Once an alpha," Massie began, and the girls caught on as the camera got ready to snap.

"Always an alpha!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Alright, so it is over.<strong>_

_**Well, almost.**_

_**Look to the next chapter.**_

_**Love you guys!**_

_**All of the outfits are on Polyvore. Check them out!**_


	31. The Final Chapter

_**Massie:**_

Massie finally has everything. Her British friends. Her American friends. And her super-amazing boyfriend of three years, James.

Her only problem now is finding time for all of it! She's got her NYU journalism classes, working around James's busy Pre-Med schedule, and Saturday Night Sleepovers. If it wasn't for her besties, Massie would have lost her mind.

Now Massie just has to follow the rules of a peaceful summer in Monte Carlo…

_**Claire,**_

A few years ago, Claire would have never thought any of this possible.

Living in NYC instead of Florida to become a teacher instead of a nurse. Having a part-time job at the best photography classes for children. One of her best friends, Strawberry, in a serious relationship with her ex, Erik. Having Layne _and_ Massie back. And even having a certain boy on her arm.

Claire finally has things figured out, or at least figured out enough for a Freshman. And, for once, her life plan doesn't matter. Whatever she does, she knows that she wants Cam with her. As long as his busy business-major schedule and soccer team doesn't keep him away too much, Claire knows that she'll get her wish.

_**Kristen,**_

Kristen always knew that she would love this life as a professional soccer player, but she loves it even more now that she isn't a slave to the sport. Though she has to get up at five in the morning for practice and brave a commute to the suburbs, she wouldn't trade living with Layne, Bay, and Quinn for anything. Well, if they had more than two bathrooms…

With adorakable Dempsey by her side, even living in the apartment above hers, Kristen is ready for anything. Even her mom marrying her best friend's father…

_**Dylan,**_

"Super-Star Dylan Marvil is our new addiction in The Clique!"

"A witty and funny Soap Opera showing us the side no one has seen before, on the inside of the clique."

"Five stars! Best show this year!"

Everyone is in love with the Clique. When Dylan turned down the offer to play Bre in _Superstar_, Dylan thought that her primetime days were over and she was going to relax in NYU. But, before Dylan made it half a semester in her acting classes, she got an offer to work on The Clique in New York. Thanks to Massie and her PC days, Dylan easily knew how to play Cody James, beta to Allie A. Abbot's character, Selena. And, thanks to the two amazing actresses leading the show, it rocketed to fame.

Maybe the paparazzi is annoying (Especially when they snap pictures of Josh leaving her apartment in the early morning hours), but Dylan wouldn't trade it for the world.

_**Alicia,**_

Alicia always dreamed of this live, but it's even more amazing than she could have ever imagined!

Dancing as one of the best students in the best dance school in the country is amazing. But being best friends with other student, Skye Hamilton, and living with her besties (Massie and Dylan) in the uber-modern apartment that everyone in town wants next door to Skye and Allie A. Abbott is even too cool to describe.

And then there is Derrington.

Honestly, she would probably trade it all in to be with him, her stupid little hottie. She never knew that she could feel like this. She could have people cheer for her and dance her heart out, but nothing felt as good as knowing that Derrington smiled for her. Now her only problem is how her single friends are upset when she ditches partying with them for a night of movies and popcorn with Derrington.

_**Layne,**_

_Supposed to Say_ was a runaway hit when Lewis Cartwell heard Baze and Layne sing it. And, by the end of the week, they had an album deal and a band to complete it. Before the end of the year, their CD had topped the most sold for three weeks in a row and had a summer tour set up.

And, somewhere along the way of finding fame and doing what she loves, Layne found love in the form of another four letter word, _B-A-Z-E._ Everyone adored when Layne and Baze began to date, but no one loved it as much as they did.

Now writing their new CD, they are trying to make their next big hit. But will it be in the form of a two minute song or a lifetime in love with each other?

_**Bay,**_

When Bay moved in with her idol, Quinn Rock, she knew it would be cool. But she had no clue that it inspire her.

With the help of Quinn, Bay wrote her best-seller, _Caesar_, about _The Royal Court_, the girls who rule Caesar Augustus Middle School. With the Clique bringing attention to the cliques of schools, it was easy for Bay's book to become a big him. Getting help from her friends and from her own experience, Bay wrote about two cliques The Seasons (August, Summer, and April) and The Primary Colors (Scarlett, Maggenta who was known as Maggie, and Azul) when the Seasons lost Winter when she moved to California and became one clique and best friends.

After Griffon kissed her on New Year's Eve, they had been inseparable, and Bay's problems just seemed to melt away.

But Bay still has to manage her father marrying Kristen's mom…

_**Strawberry,**_

The actor and the director. Cliché, huh? Well, Strawberry doesn't care. She and her boyfriend of nine months, Erik (Sunglasses), are just that couple. She's studying to become a director, and he's an actor.

Maybe she does feel a little weird about the fact that Erik once dated her good friend, Claire. But if Dylan and Alicia can stay best friends while Dylan is with her ex, Josh, the British bombshell with the hot pink hair can definitely manage.

Strawberry's only problem now is getting Erik to dye his bright green hair back to the sultry navy she adored so much…

_**Quinn, **_

The secret is out. Robin and Quinn no longer keep their relationship to secret dates and hook-ups at two in the morning when everyone else was asleep. Though it was an accident when it came out (Robin planted a kiss on her when they were going to meet Massie and James for lunch, and the couple walked in on it), neither of them knew how freeing it felt for everyone to know. Their six-month-long relationship is out in the open, and everyone knows, even the British magazines who loved her so much.

Quinn is proud to have changed her serial-dater best friend into a boyfriend completely in love with her, and the only thing Quinn doesn't like is all of the teasing from her friends who were already in love about how the "I-Won't-Be-Crazy-When-I'm-In-Love" girl is just as mad as them.

Now, Quinn just has to manage working on her new book and going on tour for her last book while also seeing Robin while he's in Madrid again this summer…

* * *

><p><strong>The Final Chapter<strong>

Summer was creeping into the New York City night as the nine girls made their way to the garden on top of Massie's apartment building. They had the penthouse next to Allie Abbott and Skye Hamilton, and they were just a few steps away from the garden on top.

It was beautiful, lush, and private.

Though it was public, no one came here.

That made it the perfect place for the Click meetings.

Massie had thought of the idea when she and James had come up here for a picnic last fall. The Click had likened to the idea, and this just became their spot.

Massie smiled to herself as she thought about James, fast asleep in his apartment with Josh, Derrington, and Robin. They only had a few days left of school and less than a week to their summer vacation in Monte Carlo with their family.

She had held to her promise for a normal summer, and she was determined not to start trouble this time around. No crazy clique wars. No break-ups. Just a summer in the sun with her favorite guy.

But, before her summer in another continent, there was something she wanted to do.

When she had told the other girls, they hadn't thought she was serious. But they all decided to go along with it and made plans to be here at midnight.

After all, all of the girls were spending their summers apart.

Alicia was going to Spain as always, but, this time, they were taking Piper to her first trip abroad. And, as a surprise, Derrington had planned on renting a nearby beach home with his older sister and mother for their summer vacation.

Dylan was in LA for the summer to shoot her new movie, _Who_, a horror movie that followed the typical teen horror script. She and Josh were planning on spending the weekends at the beaches of California, and she was ready to show off her amazing boyfriend to the public.

Kristen was going on a trip with Dempsey to Africa with his family, and she had to be back in July for the big event. When Bay and Kristen moved in together, they had no clue that their parents would take to each other. And, when they had started dating, they definitely hadn't seen it in the cards when they got engaged!

Strawberry is in London with her mother and twin brother, and Erik was visiting for a few weeks to meet her mother and brother.

Claire was in Westchester for most of the summer, except for the crucial two weeks in the Hamptons for Cam to truly introduce Claire as _the_ girl.

Layne was on her summer tour for music, and Quinn was on her summer tour for her latest book.

Bay was off to working at a writing camp with Griffon for most of the summer except for coming home for the wedding, where she would have the dreaded run-in with her sister. She hadn't seen CeCe in so long that she had almost forgotten about her twin sister, who was currently engaged to super-rich twenty-three year old Lewis Donald, who owned some big company.

In fact, none of them had talked to CeCe or Olivia.

All they knew about the two was the gossip circulating.

Olivia and Brandon had a son, Tyler, only a little while back, but they had split up long before their son was born. They were both great parents to Tyler, Brandon more than Olivia, but Olivia was doing fine without Brandon. With Sensa in her purse and her platform heels back, she was on her way to finding a rich husband like CeCe had.

Alicia felt weird that, after all of that time as best friends, one conversation had ended all of it.

She didn't long for her old life though. With Skye Hamilton as her friend, Alicia had taken the dance school by storm. She had attracted attention from the media and all of the most amazing dance companies. And, even without all of the career success, she had Derrington.

Her crazy Derrington.

He was insane, and he drove her insane. But Alicia couldn't imagine life without him.

Claire couldn't imagine how she had gone on so long without Cam either.

While she had loved Erik, he just wasn't the right guy. Cam had always been the right guy, they just took a while to get it right.

But, even though Erik hadn't even right for Claire, he had been right for Strawberry.

It hadn't taken long for them to end up together, and they were happier than any of them had ever imagined they could be. Erik understood that what happened with Claire had led him to running away to Monte Carlo for a few weeks, when he fell for Strawberry. Though he wasn't really friends with Claire, they had agreed to put their past behind them.

While Claire's past had haunted her for so long, Dylan's past was helping her.

Thanks to her PC days, Dylan was perfect to play Cody James. The show's success was due in a large part to Dylan. Aside from her amazing acting, she also knew what it was really like. She was able to add suggestions in that had turned into the things the audience loved most.

And _The Clique_ had brought Dylan to winning the _Young Faces _award, an award that she beat Alexis in, and Dylan had taken in secret delight when the show that she had turned down began to bomb.

"You're here," Massie smiled as Kristen sat down on the big blankets that Massie had set up. Alicia and Dylan were already sitting down, and they smiled as each of the girls began to file in.

When Quinn arrived, Massie had a smirk on her lips.

"So you could make it? I was worried you had a secret date with Robin."

Quinn rolled her eyes.

It had been everyone's favorite joke after the big blow-up.

Quinn could still remember the first day that she met Robin. They laughed when they recounted how Robin had been playing soccer during recess and kicked the ball too far, making it hit Quinn in the head. He had run to apologize, but she hadn't forgiven him. For two years, she refused to talk to him. But, when they were twelve and were put together for a science project, they had decided to start over and became best friends.

Having known him the longest, Quinn had been the one who would _never_ date him. Not after everything she knew about him, she wasn't that stupid.

But something had changed that summer in Madrid.

All he wanted was Quinn, and she could tell that. The truth was that he was all she wanted, too.

One night, they couldn't just pretend any longer. They were getting pizza as they usually did on Wednesdays, and they sat in the dark Central park as they finished their food. They were talking about the day they met, and Robin nudged her that he had teased her because he had a crush on her. And, when Quinn rested her head on his shoulder, he told her that he still did.

Getting together was the easy part. _Telling_ was the hard part.

So, for three months, they kept it a secret until Robin gave Quinn PDA when he didn't know their friends were around.

"You guys have known for three months, okay?" Quinn sat down beside Strawberry, "Can we just get over it?"

"No," Dylan shook her head, and Quinn rolled her eyes again.

"So, are you all packed for your summer in Madrid with Robby?"

"We're only spending two weeks together. Then I'm off to my tour. We'll only see each other every two weeks on the weekend."

"My boyfriend is in LA for the summer. And I'm in _London_," Strawberry crossed her arms, "I think I get to complain."

"Hey, I have to go meet Cam's _entire _family. His parents are nice, and his brother is great. But the rest of them are like the _Kennedy's!_" Claire complained, crossing her arms.

"I'm on _tour_. All across the country. And a concert in London!" Layne reminded them. If it wasn't for Baze and the fact that her band members were her best friends from music school, she would have lost her mind from their busy schedule.

But Layne loved it, her only complaint being the fan girls screaming, "We love you, Baze!" all the time.

"I'm in _Africa_," Kristen pointed out, and they all nodded.

She won.

"Well, I have no complaints. A relaxing time in Monte Carlo," Massie smiled, thinking about her plans with James in the beautiful city.

"Brag much," Bay nudged her, "I'm a bridesmaid in my father's wedding with _CeCe!_"

"I'm Maid of Honor, and I have to spend as much time with CeCe as you do," Kristen huffed.

While she would love becoming Bay's sister, she couldn't imagine being _CeCe's_ sister.

The only thing that kept her from killing Bay's dad for proposing was how happy her mother was.

When bay and Kristen were unpacking their apartment, their parents had met each other. They all went for Chinese that night, and, the next night, he asked Kristen's mom to go to dinner alone. They were friends for a little while before they started dating. And it wasn't long before they fell in love with each other.

They were only dating for six months when he bought the beautiful diamond ring and got down on knee.

The wedding was set for this summer in Figi where a group of their family and friends would celebrate in style for a week before the big wedding on Friday. Afterwards, everyone else would leave, and the couple would spend another week there for their honeymoon.

Bay and Kristen were happy for their parents, but that didn't make it any less weird.

"Why don't you two just throw her out of the plane on the way there?"

"The stupid TSA won't let us," Bay pouted, and they laughed.

"So, are you guys ready?" Massie asked, and they nodded.

Massie got up and brought back the crystal bowl that she had used when they claimed each other. She made sure that it had enough water before putting down on pedestal in the middle of everyone.

A few weeks ago, when she joking claimed James with Chanel Number Five, she realized that she hadn't claimed _The Click_. It didn't _really_ matter. They were friends with or without the perfume, but Massie wanted to do it anyways.

"You have your CP?"

Everyone held up their perfumes, smiling and giddy.

The PC members knew this very well, but the other girls were excited to be learning about this secret process.

"I'll go first."

Massie sprayed Chanel Number Five into the glass, and her smile widened as she put her perfume down.

Alicia went next, spraying the distinct smell of a Ralf Lauren perfume that she had claimed Derrington with.

One by one, the girls sprayed their perfumes.

The smell was horrible in the end, but they loved it.

They loved each other.

Sure, they were in love with their boyfriends, but no one could take the place of their friends. These girls were always there for each other, and they always would be. They could survive anything, and they would always have their girls for support, even they knew that the other was wrong.

Once you're an alpha, you always have it.

You always have that commanding personality. The ability to command attention. And the skill to keep it.

Once an alpha, always an alpha.

But, once you found your friends, your friends, they don't fade. They are there through boy drama, fights, bad grades, and anything else that will come your way. Sometimes friendships end.

Sometimes its forever. Forgiveness never comes, and you get on with your life.

And sometimes its only for a short time.

But, when you find those girls, you'll know. You'll have fights along the way, and things won't always work out. But, at the end of the day, when everything is falling apart, you'll go to them.

Once true friends, always friends.

"One," Massie began, smiling at her friends.

"Two," Alicia smiled.

Claire took a deep breath, putting her hand over the bowl.

Five years ago, she never would thought this would happen.

She thought that, when Alicia called her over to un-claim the Pretty Committee, it was permanent. That their time with Massie would be remembered but was over. That, when they counted to three, everything was lost.

But here they were.

Together again with some others along for the ride.

"Three," Claire finished.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The End<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>EHMAGAWD! It's really over!<strong>_

_**Thank you all for **_**reading**_**.**_

_**When I started writing this story, this wasn't really the plan. There was no Clique War, and I wasn't really sure where I was going. And now here we are. At the end of the line.**_

_**I won't give you a super long speech or anything. I just want to thank you, and I keep an eye out for my next Clique story! It'll be a while, but I hope you guys will read it.**_

**:-{D HAWTgeek :-{D**


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